Traditions
by emilyc
Summary: This is a V/H fluff fic inspired by some of my favourite songs. This is my first attempt ever at writing any type of fiction just for the heck of it and not for school. I’m so very sorry if it sucks but I just wanted to try my hand at a continuation
1. Whole Again

Traditions

Description: The inspiration for this story comes from a combination of me reading a whole bunch of Escaflowne fanfics and listening to some of my favourite songs. It will be a V/H romance fic so that means a lot of fluff but that doesn't mean there won't be anything exciting, or at least that's what I hope and maybe a few song fic chapters if I can't manage to work the song into the story. I do not own Escaflowne or the songs that I use in the story. There. Now no one can sue me so, bwahhahahahahahahaha! And now on with the story…

Traditions

**Chapter 1: Whole Again**

"I'll never forget you," whispered Hitomi as she was slowly lifted away from Van's protective arms into the bright pillar of light.

"Hitomi…I... BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!"

"Van! What is it?"

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!" her alarm clock continued to shriek. With a loud slap, Hitomi hit the Snooze button and covered her head with her pillow. '_Why oh why did my stupid alarm clock have to go off just at that moment?!'_ she thought, '_Oh Van, did you want to tell me something?'_ Just then, her train of thought was once again interrupted by the muffled, yet still annoying sound of her alarm clock.

"Argh!!! I'm never going to find out what he wanted to say to me, that is, if he _did_ have something that he wanted to say. Oh, Van!"

It had been six long years since Hitomi had returned home to the Mystic Moon, but as she had promised, she had never forgotten the young raven-haired king of Fanelia. Not a day passed by without her thoughts drifting towards Van. She missed him more than she could have ever imagined. More than she missed Earth while she was on Gaea; more than she would miss her friends and family if they were ever separated from her. She missed his wild and unruly hair, his sweet innocent smile, his red sleeveless shirt and khaki pants, but what she missed most was just turning around and seeing him right there by her side. Sure she could always picture him in her mind, but it just wasn't the same as seeing those chocolate-coloured eyes looking back at her for real. It had been quite a while since she had seen him check up on her. Not since that day at the train stop, but Hitomi had never thought that much about it. School was keeping her busy so she naturally assumed that Van was busy with the reconstruction of Fanelia. She always told herself that he would contact her as soon as Fanelia was restored so that she could see its grandeur. After all, that is what he promised her.

A loud scream from down the hall shook Hitomi out of her thoughts followed by a frantic red head flying through Hitomi's bedroom door.

"WE…SLEPT…IN!!!!! Hitomi…why didn't you wake me up!" shouted Yukari in between deep breaths of air.

Hitomi started laughing, "Don't get so worked up Yukari. You're not getting married today you know. That isn't till tomorrow."

"I know that perfectly well, thank you very much."

"Then why did you want to get up so early? It's only," Hitomi looks at her alarm clock, "10AM."

"I can't believe that we lost two precious hours. Oh well, we'll just have to make up for it by having more fun. C'mon Hitomi. We don't have all day!" exclaimed Yukari as she dragged Hitomi out of bed.

"All day for what? What in the world are you talking about?" Hitomi shouted as she clung on to her pillow.

"Duh? Hitomi, today is going to be my last day as a single woman and I'm going to enjoy it as much as possible. I will not get married to Amano and regret not ever doing some things that I can only do as a single woman."

"Oh yeah, and what kind of things would these be, Yukari?" asked Hitomi with a sly grin on her face.

"Geez, Hitomi!! Get your mind out of the gutter! You know perfectly well that I meant a whole day of shop-till-you-drop shopping! Seriously, I think that going to school all year round has warped your mind. Anyway, Amano hates going on shopping sprees and I'm willing to give them up just for him." After looking dreamy-eyed for a brief second, a wicked little grin crept across her face. "Of course, I will still go shopping. Just not for a whole day. Maybe just for, let me see, about 6 hours. Well, enough talking. I'm off to get dressed and I'm expecting you to do the same," and with that last remark Yukari was out the door.

Pausing for a moment to digest what had happened, Hitomi then got out of her bed and turned on her radio while she searched through her closet for something decent to wear. _'My mind isn't warped. I just wanted to finish school as soon as possible, and I have. Now I have a degree and a career. What do you have, Yukari?'_ Hitomi thought to herself as she picked up a light blue t-shirt. 

"You have the one you love," sighed Hitomi.

"And now for this week's long distance dedication," said the radio DJ catching Hitomi's attention. "This week, our letter comes from a 16 year old girl in Tokyo and she writes, 'Dear DJ Toshiro, My name is Michiko and I was wondering if you could play the song _Whole Again_ by Atomic Kitten for my very good friend Wataru in Australia. He is someone very special to me but I was not able to find the words to tell him that before I left Sydney. You see, I've fallen in love with Wataru but I'm not sure if he feels the same way about me. I tried to let him know that I wanted to stay with him in Sydney but..."

Just then Yukari spoke from the doorway, "Sheesh! Poor fools don't you think?" Yukari was already changed and ready to go. She was wearing an orange tank top and white shorts. "If what's-her-name loved what's-his-name so much then why did she leave him? If she had stayed then they could be as happy as Amano and I. Anyway, are you ready yet Hitomi?" Looking at Hitomi, who was still digging though her closet, Yukari continued, "By the way you're looking at that closet I'm guessing you won't be ready for another few minutes so I'm going to get breakfast ready. Hopefully we won't lose that much time if you can eat fast enough."

Hitomi was once again left to get dressed with her thoughts and the radio, which by now had already begun playing the long distance dedication.

_*music*_

_If you see me walking down the street_

_Staring at the sky, and dragging my two feet_

_You just pass me by_

_It still makes me cry_

_But you can make me whole again_

_If you see me with another man_

_Laughing and joking, doing what I can_

_I won't put you down_

_Cause I want you around_

_But you can make me whole again_

_Looking back on when we first met_

_I cannot escape and I cannot forget_

_Baby, you're the one_

_You still turn me on_

_You can make me whole again_

_Time is laying heavy on my heart_

_Seems I've got too much of it_

_Since we've been apart_

_My friends make smile, if only for a while_

_You can make me whole again…_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As soon as Hitomi came down the stairs, Yukari shoved a piece of toast into her mouth, made her gulp down a glass of orange juice so fast that it almost spilled onto the light blue t-shirt and short jean skirt that Hitomi was wearing. Finally once Hitomi swallowed her toast, Yukari dragged her out of the door. Yukari drove faster than she normally did to try and make up for the lost time. The trees along the side of the road looked like a horizontal green stripe above a horizontal brown stripe. Often, Hitomi feared for her life when Yukari was driving but at least today she was driving an automatic instead of Amano's standard. There weren't any jerking stops and starts that would make anyone riding in the car nauseous. This, therefore, allowed Hitomi to look at the scenery and daydream. As Hitomi enjoyed the warm sun shining down on her skin and the cool breeze blowing through her hair she caught sight of a white feather drifting in the wind. _'Oh, Van!' _thought Hitomi.

"HEY! That's our spot!!! We were waiting for that spot first!!" screamed Yukari over top of the shrieking sound of the car horn she was pushing down. "Don't you point that at me!! You wanna piece of me!! Come and get it, you jerk!!!"

"What do you think you're doing, Yukari?!!!" questioned a very shocked Hitomi.

"Don't worry, Hitomi. I know exactly what I'm doing. See," replied Yukari as she motioned to the red car in front of them backing out of the parking spot.

"You're absolutely unbelievable."

"Thank you."

As soon as they entered the mall it was non-stop shopping fun. Store after store the two friends went to trying on all sorts of things from clothes and lingerie to make-up and a free aqua massage. They even tried out the new oxygen bar thing where you breathe in flavoured air, kind of like a new form of aromatherapy. It wasn't until they walked past a quaint little bistro that they realized it was way past lunchtime.

"Mmm. You have got to try this chicken taco salad Hitomi. It's got to be the best that I have ever tasted."

"You say that about everything you eat, Yukari. I'm pretty sure you'd eat anything that was edible and say that it's the best you'd ever had."

"Are you mocking me, Miss Picky? I'm simply complementing everything that deserves it. It's not my fault that everything I try deserves praise."

"You're so silly! What am I going to do once you've moved out?"

"You'll just have to move in with me and Amano. I'm sure he wouldn't mind having two gorgeous gals like us living with him. Now c'mon. We've got more shopping to do and stuff to try." Laughing, the two friends then got up and continued the shopping spree.

The rest of the day went rather quickly. By the time the girls got home, their credit cards had had a good workout. Hitomi was so tired that she was slumped across the couch and watched Yukari talk to Amano on the phone over the hundred shopping bags that they brought home. Seeing how happy the two of them together were made Hitomi smile. It was just like the song from earlier in the morning said, her friends made her smile but only for a while. Only one thing could make her whole again. Van. It wasn't until now that she realized how much she missed her guardian angel. With all the work of studying and Yukari and Amano's wedding preparations, Hitomi was much too busy to think about Van. But now that all of that was over and done with, Hitomi was flooded with thoughts about Van and Gaea. She began to think about what Gaea and Fanelia looked like, now that six years had passed since the Destiny War. _'Have all of the countries finished rebuilding yet?_' That thought then led to the question that Hitomi dreaded…why hadn't Van come to see her? Six years was a long time, long enough for her to finish high school and university. It certainly must have been enough time for Van to restore Fanelia.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile in Gaea…

"I now pronounce you man and wife and King and Queen of Asturia. You many now kiss the bride," declared the minister as the groom bent down and kissed the blushing bride with a gentle, yet passionate kiss on her red lips.

"Hooray!" shouted the crowd as the happy couple walked out of the temple. The size of the mass was amazing. People stood from the temple steps all the way into the town square. It was indeed a grand and special occasion that brought people including royalty from far and near.

"Congratulations, Dryden and Millerna!" called out the thousands of citizens and visitors who came to watch the ceremony. 

"Thank you," replied the newlyweds as they proceeded down the steps and through the crowd. "Alright, people!" exclaimed Dryden as the crown slowly silenced, "Enough of this standing around. Let's all head to the palace and celebrate!" And with that comment, Dryden scooped Millerna off of her feet and carried her off to the palace.

Six years had certainly allowed for a lot of change on Gaea. Most obviously was the peace that was attained while everyone worked together to reconstruct and repair all of the damage that was done during the Destiny War. Another change was that Millerna had finally fallen in love with Dryden (well, at least Dryden finally realized that Millerna did have feelings for him too). It had taken him six years, but it finally happened just as he had promised. And, to celebrate this reunion, the Asturians held a spectacular weeklong party where the royal couple renewed their vows for all of Gaea to see and take part in. It was truly a joyous occasion. 

Among the guests who attended the festivities were Millerna and Dryden's closest friends, namely Van, Merle, Allen, Chid, and the crew of the Crusade. If it weren't for them, they never would have got together in the first place and if it weren't for Merle's matchmaking skills, Dryden would have had a more difficult time playing hard to get after the Destiny War.

Inside the palace, the Banquet Hall was filled with tables of all sorts of delicious dishes from all over Gaea to meet the tastes of all of the guests. Over top, there were banners of silver and blue, Millerna's wedding colours, which stretched across the entire ceiling. A traditional Asturian orchestra was also situated on the balcony that overlooked the dinner tables to serenade the guests as they ate.

Slowly, the guests made their way into the palace and into the Banquet Hall while they waited for Dryden and Millerna to get changed. When the royal couple returned they were greeted with oohs and ahhs. Millerna was wearing a sleeveless princess cut dress that was sapphire blue to bring out the colour of her eyes with sparkly silver trim and long silver gloves. Her hair was in an up-do to support her tiara with a few curly wisps falling down to frame her face along with some dangly diamond earrings that matched the tiara. Meanwhile, Dryden was wearing something very similar to Allen's usual clothes. He was wearing a white shirt, black pants, and a sapphire blue vest with the crest of Asturia on the left. The biggest difference about Dryden was that he was cleanly shaven and his hair was shoulder length now.

After a few minutes of mingling, the feast began. Everyone was busy eating and chatting except for a raven-haired king who sat quietly staring at his piece of wedding cake.

"What's the matter Lord Van?" asked Merle as she helped herself to a second piece of cake. She didn't care about gaining weight. Her girlish feline figure had changed over the last six years to become that of a curvaceous feline woman. Daily exercise of running allowed her to maintain her shape while making nightly visits to the kitchen for snacks. Merle was wearing a sleek strapless yellow gown that flowed all the way down to her feet. The long white gloves that she was wearing before were now placed on the side of her plate in the hopes of not getting them dirty.

"Nothing's the matter, Merle," sighed Van as he took a small nibble of his cake. He was lying and he knew that Merle could see right through him but he wasn't in the mood to discuss what was bothering him. For one thing, he was a bit jealous of the happy couple, and secondly, he had been getting strange looks from all of the single women there. Another thing that made him uncomfortable was that he was wearing formal clothes. Instead of his usual sleeveless red shirt and khakis, he was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt, black pants, and a red vest with the crest of Fanelia on it. He wasn't used to acting so formal, even though he was a king. "You can have the rest of my piece if you want," and with that Van excused himself from the table and walked out to the balcony.

The sky that night was a magnificent royal blue and was illuminated with what resembled millions of diamonds. Van leaned against the railing as he looked up at the larger of Gaea's two moons, the Mystic Moon. _'Oh, Hitomi! When will we get the chance to be as happy as Dryden and Millerna? I was such a fool to let you go without telling you how I truly felt. Now I feel as though a part of myself is missing. You must have moved on with your life by now, since I haven't visited you for such a long time. It just wouldn't feel right just popping in out of nowhere. Not like the first time. Things are different now,'_ Van thought to himself. It wasn't that he didn't want to see Hitomi. God and everyone close to him knew he did. It was just he didn't know what to say to her when he saw her. He had been so caught up with rebuilding that he felt that he lost touch with her. There was no excuse for it. Reconstruction of Fanelia was completed a year ago yet he hasn't been able to find the words to ask Hitomi to come back to Gaea as he had promised. Every time that Van came close to contacting Hitomi he would chicken out thinking that maybe Hitomi had grown impatient with him and moved on with her life and was married with a family.

"Thinking about how to ask Hitomi to come back?" said a knightly voice from behind Van's left shoulder.

Startled by the voice, Van quickly turned around to see Allen smiling at him, "Don't do that!! Anyway, it's none of your business what I was thinking about," replied Van. Since the end of the Destiny War, Allen was made an ambassador to Fanelia for Asturia and actually moved into the palace in Fanelia. In the last six years, he and Van had become really close friends, even to the point where Allen would become King of Fanelia should something happen to Van. Van also continued his sword training with Allen taking the place of Balgus as Van's sword master. They were equals now with the sword, which made sparring rather interesting.

"Don't be like that, Van. You know that Hitomi and I are just good friends and nothing more than that. Why she would choose you over me is something of a mystery but I guess we'll never know if you don't bring her back?" Allen retorted.

"Ha ha, very funny Allen. Besides, we all know why she chose me."

"And, what's that Fanel?"

"I'm a better swordsman," Van responded with a sly grin.

"Oh, really. Better than your master? I challenge you to a duel. Right here, right now."

Suddenly Millerna appeared with her I-don't-think-so look on her face and said, "Not tonight, boys. Come on hurry up. Dryden's waiting for you."

Following the Queen back into the Banquet Hall, Van whispered to Allen, "Why exactly is Dryden waiting for us?"

"Something that might give you a way to bring Hitomi back," answered Allen winking.

Before Van had time to ask another question, Dryden started talking.

"Alright, now that all the single men are here. Let the sword throw begin." By this time, all the tables had been cleared out of the room and all the couples and female guests were standing along the walls leaving the single men in the middle. Similar to the Earth tradition of the bride throwing the bouquet and whomever catching it being the next bride is the Gaean tradition of the sword throw. In this tradition, the groom throws his bride's scarf into the air while all the single men try to pierce it with their sword. The owner of the sword, which pierces the scarf, will, supposedly, be the next person to get married.

"Hey Allen!" yelled Chid from the other side of the room. "Do you think you'll pierce Aunt Millerna's scarf or do you think I have a chance?" The young king of Fried had grown up quite a bit and was the object of affection for many of the younger princesses in Gaea, much like his father was at that age. Chid was much taller now and was still growing. He kept his blond hair short and tidy unlike Van's and was wearing pretty much the same thing as Dryden except his vest was green with the crest of Freid on it.

"I don't know about me but the other competition looks fierce. Am I right Van?"

Van, being lost in his thoughts recently, had completely forgotten about this tradition. He finally understood what Allen meant by a way to bring Hitomi back. With that realization, Van could feel his cheeks blush cherry red. _'Oh, God please let my sword pierce the scarf.'_

"Don't count me out, eh Commander?" shouted Gaddes from behind.

Dryden was speaking again and this time he was holding a baby blue scarf in his right hand. "Is everyone ready? OK. Good luck, men."

With a flick of his wrist, Dryden launched Millerna's scarf into the air where it drifted and floated in the air as the room became silent. Suddenly the sound of many swords being pulled out of its' sheaths could be heard as the majority of the men began taking aim. Van held his sword tightly in his right hand and closed his eyes. This was the perfect way to see if he and Hitomi were meant to be. If he could pierce the scarf then he would know that there was a chance. There was no way he would let Hitomi go once he brought her back again. He wanted her to stay with him for an eternity and this would be the sign on whether not that was possible.

_'OK pendant do your thing. Picture the scarf. Come on. There it is. Here goes.'_

Van pulled his sword back and thrust it upward all the while keeping his eyes closed. Suddenly a loud cheer could be heard and when Van finally opened his eyes, he saw Millerna's scarf around the blade of his sword draping gently over his hand and the handle of his sword.

"Good work, Van!!!" congratulated Millerna, Dryden, and Allen. Van could feel his cheeks burn a bright crimson again as he smiled at his friends.

"Alright, now that that's over. Let's dance!" With that announcement from Dryden, the orchestra began playing music and dozens of couples took to the dance floor.

As fast as lightning, a swarm of ladies and princesses surrounded Van. All of them wanted to dance with him and hopefully steal a kiss from the famous Dragon that saved Gaea six years ago and after tonight's event, the most eligible bachelor of all of Gaea. Van was overwhelmed by this display. He didn't know what to do. It wasn't polite to turn down every single request but he just didn't want to dance with any of these girls. There was only one person that he ever imagined dancing with.

"Move over. He's not dancing with you yet! I automatically get the first dance!!" came the familiar shriek of Merle's voice when she was annoyed. A look of relief spread over Van's face as he and Merle walked towards the dance floor and the swarm parted and made their way over to wait for Van or Allen who was already dancing with his sister, Celena.

Gradually, Merle led Van to the balcony door as they danced to the music. Once they got there, they quickly ran out just to make sure no one spotted them.

"Thanks, Merle. What would I ever do without you?"

"You'd go insane. Just kidding. You'll always have me around to help you out. Can't get rid of me too easily. But I'm pretty sure Hitomi can take care of you herself. Speaking of which, when exactly are you going to bring Hitomi back?"

Van's cheeks blushed again a deep pink, the same way they always did whenever anyone would mention Hitomi. "Umm…I don't know, Merle. Do you really think she'll want to come back?" he asked sheepishly.

"Of course she would!!! Why wouldn't she want to come back? She has friends here and you're here!!! Van, you're 21 years old! You're gonna have to get married sooner or later and I'm pretty sure you don't want any of those in there!" Merle was now pointing her tail at the swarm, which now seemed to look like a group of hunters ready to attack their prey. "Unless you want the council to choose a bride for you, you better go and find Hitomi fast. It's not like you don't have a sign that you should get married soon! You pierced the scarf!! Seriously, for a king, Van, you don't seem to be very brave."

"I'm not a coward," Van said, obviously hurt by Merle's comment. "I risked my life so many times to save this world…" but before Van could finish, Merle cut him off.

"I don't mean in that way. I'm talking about your personal life. Van, you'll never know what will happen unless you try," Merle pleaded. "Oh no!! I think they've caught your scent. You better head up to the roof and hide. Also, think about what I just said. Now go." With that, Merle shoved Van off of the railing that he was sitting on.

Falling, Van quickly spread his wings and flew to the roof of the palace. Merle was right. He would never know if Hitomi feels the same way unless he asks her. Looking up at the Mystic Moon, Van closed his eyes and thought of Hitomi. Holding on to the pendant that she gave him so long ago, he wished for the love of his life to return to him. _'Hitomi, if you get this message, please come back to Gaea. Please come back to me.'_


	2. I Lay My Love On You

Desire

Traditions

****

Chapter 2: I Lay My Love On You

"Hitomi?! Earth to Hitomi! Hello? Is anyone in there?" asked the very nervous bride as she waved her hand in front of the spaced-out bride's maid.

"Huh, what? Oh, I'm so sorry Yukari. My mind just drifted off. What did you say?" replied Hitomi slowly. She was so caught up in her daydream about Van that she had completely tuned Yukari out while staring contently into her morning coffee, which was a chocolaty-brown just like Van's eyes.

"I was _saying_ that I think I should've have gone with the zippered back because these buttons are taking forever to do up. Think about how long it'll take Amano to undo all of these. There must be at least a hundred of them and you're not doing much to help staring into that coffee of yours. If you're not going to drink it then give it to me," blurted Yukari so fast that it was almost impossible to understand.

"I don't think you need any more coffee, Yukari. You're already talking a mile a minute, if you drink anymore you're going to..." before Hitomi could finish her sentence Yukari had grabbed her coffee and gulped it down. "Hey, that was mine!! I don't think I've ever seen you this nervous before."

"Nervous, why would I be nervous? Except for the fact that my best friend and bride's maid isn't in her dress yet. Why would a bride be nervous on her wedding day?!" exclaimed Yukari as she waved her arms in a panic.

"Yukari, it's only 9AM. I have 2 hours to get dressed. First we have to get you ready," replied Hitomi as she picked up the veil.

"Oh, Hitomi! I'm so sorry. It's just that everything seems to be going so fast. One minute we're out shopping and now here I am getting married. What am I going to do once I'm married? You can't always be there for me. I'm OK. I'll be all right, right? I've made it this far. Calm down, Yukari. Amano will be there to help you through things when Hitomi isn't around."

"That's right, Yukari," sniffled Hitomi as she placed the veil on top of Yukari's red hair. "You'll always have Amano there for you."

"Oh, don't cry Hitomi. I'm the bride. I'm the one that should be crying. Please. If you start then I'll start," said Yukari as she held back the tears in her eyes.

Hitomi nodded and then hugged her friend. She smiled and then left to go get ready herself. As Hitomi walked down the hall she started to think. What was she going to do once Yukari moved out with Amano? She would be left alone. It wouldn't be right to tag along with Yukari and Amano all the time. They would be newlyweds and she would be like a third wheel. It was already embarrassing enough when she went along with them on dates but now they would be married. She needed someone to be with but the only person she wanted hasn't spoken to her in over six years. _'Oh Van!'_

When Hitomi entered her room, she walked over to the window and opened the blinds to take a good look. The sun was high in the cerulean sky shining brightly and there wasn't a cloud in sight. It was such a beautiful day. Absolutely perfect for a wedding. Hitomi hoped that her wedding day would be just as nice. But who was she kidding? She wasn't getting married anytime soon. First she would have to find the one she loves. _'Oh Van where are you? Why haven't you come to see me or contacted me?'_ Just then Hitomi saw something out of the corner of her eye. Sticking her head out of her window she saw a white feather floating in the wind. At first she thought is was Van's but then she realized that it wasn't. It wasn't as large as one of Van's feathers but it was just as white. The small feather drifted peacefully through the air and Hitomi watched it until it was out of sight. Hitomi sighed as she sat down on the chair in front of her dresser. She was thinking about Van too much. It wasn't healthy and she knew it but she just couldn't help thinking about him. What if he's already married to someone else? He is a king after all. But it seemed like he wanted to tell her that he loved her when she left. She couldn't hear his last words even when she relived the moment in her dreams. Did he want to say, "I love you."? Just then she noticed the time on her alarm clock. It was already ten o'clock! She only had an hour left to get ready for the wedding and she still needed to take a shower. 

"Oh no!! Yukari's going to kill me if I'm not ready on time!!!!" 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"We are gathered here today to join these two people in holy matrimony…" started the minister. Yukari and Amano's wedding ceremony had just begun and everything was going well. Hitomi had got ready in record time with ten minutes to spare. Now she stood next to her best friends as they were taking their vows. It was so beautiful. Yukari was wearing a strapless white wedding dress that wrapped around her body nicely to show all of her curves and Amano wore a white suit. Hitomi herself was wearing a sleek dusty blue gown that had one-inch wide shoulder straps and a lace drawn back. As Hitomi watched Yukari and Amano exchange wedding rings, she found herself suddenly surrounded by darkness. When she looked around, she was no longer in the park where Yukari and Amano were holding their wedding ceremony, but instead she found herself on the roof of a palace. Studying the environment more carefully, Hitomi recognized it as being the Royal Palace of Asturia. _'Am I back on Gaea?! No, I can't be. There wasn't a pillar of light. Is this a vision?'_

All of a sudden, Hitomi heard a familiar voice. When she turned around to the direction of the voice she was started to see Van sitting there. He was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with a red vest that had the crest of Fanelia embroidered to it. Van looked so different now. He was much taller, broader, and older looking. Hitomi was speechless. The young teen-aged boy that she had left six years ago was now an attractive, more mature man. All she wanted to do was run up to him to hold him and to have him hold her back, but she couldn't move. _'Stupid vision. Why can't I move?' _Then she saw him take out the pendant that she gave him and closed his eyes. He was making a wish and she could hear his thoughts.

__

'Hitomi, if you get this message, please come back to Gaea. Please come back to me.'

__

'Oh my God!!!!! He wants me to come back!!!' Just as abruptly as before, Hitomi once again found herself watching Yukari and Amano's ceremony. Hitomi could feel that her cheeks were warm and must have been a deep pink. She couldn't help from smiling. The man that she loved with her entire body and soul wanted her to go back to him.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Amano had barely lifted the veil when Yukari jumped up and kissed her husband. She was really excited. After a very passionate kiss, Yukari gave Hitomi a great big hug.

"I'm a married woman now, Hitomi!!!!" squealed Yukari jumping up and down like little schoolgirl.

"I know!!! I'm so happy for you!!!" Hitomi squealed back.

"Are you OK Hitomi? Your cheeks are all pink!!"

Blushing some more, Hitomi replied, "I've never been any happier!! Come on, we've got party to go to!!"

At the reception, Hitomi had a wonderful time. She was laughing and joking with all of her friends. It had been a long time since Hitomi had felt so good. Yukari and Amano were happy and now she and Van would be happy. Everything was finally working out the way that she wanted them to.

"OK!! OK!! Before we get to the first dance, there is the ever-important bouquet toss. All right single gals, get your behinds out here. Are you girls ready? May the best girl win!!!" shouted Yukari as she tossed her bouquet into the air. The mass of flowers were sent up like a projectile and arched along the path of an upside-down parabola moving in slow motion. Screams were heard as the crowd of girls lunged for the bunch of red roses. Gradually, the bundle of flowers fell on to the sea of hands grabbing at it, bouncing a few times as it surfed the pokes and punches made at it until it landed gently into Hitomi's waiting hands.

"I caught the bouquet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" screamed Hitomi as all of her friends surrounded her to give her congratulatory hugs. This has got to be the happiest day of her entire life so far. And there were plenty more waiting for her as soon as she went back to Gaea. She couldn't wait till tonight when she got home so that she could use the feather that Van had given her to return to the one she loved. Hitomi felt as if nothing bad could ever happen to her again.

Just then, the music began and Yukari and Amano were having their first dance together as husband and wife. Little by little, the rest of the guests also began to dance on the dance floor to the songs that Yukari and Hitomi spent weeks choosing for this special occasion. There was one particular song that Hitomi felt a deep connection with and it had just begun playing. She closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift off about going back to Gaea and Van as she listened to _I Lay My Love On You_.

*_music…_*

Just a smile

And there's no way back

Can hardly believe it

But there's an angel calling me

Reaching for my heart

I know that I'll be okay now

This time it's real

I lay my love on you

It's all I want to do

Every time I breathe I feel brand new

You opened up my heart

Showed me all your love

And walked right through

As I lay my love on you

I was lost in a lonely place

Could hardly believe it

Holding on to yesterday

Far, far too long

Now I believe it's okay

Cause this time it's real

Hitomi opened her eyes and looked up at the velvet sky. _'I wonder where Gaea is? It would look so beautiful on a night like this. It doesn't matter. The next time I look up into the night sky I'll be looking up at the Mystic Moon. I can't wait to see you Van!'_

I never knew that love could

Feel so good

Like a once in a lifetime

You changed my world…


	3. Deeper Shade of Blue

Hello, everyone

Hello, everyone.Well here's the third chapter.I hope you all like it since I was having a bit of trouble writing it.I also just wanted to let anyone who's interested know that the song in Chapter 2, _I Lay My Love On You_ is by Westlife.You might like to listen to the songs that I use in this story so I'll just write the names of the songs and their artists at the beginning of each chapter.For this chapter, I was inspired by the song _Deeper Shade of Blue_ by Steps.Once again, I hope you enjoy this chapter.Thanks for all of your support, especially Marilyn and Phantom Angel.

Traditions

**Chapter 3:Deeper Shade of Blue**

His heart began beating faster as he tried to out run the shadow.Faster and faster he ran but it was no use, the darkness was much too quick for him to even widen the gap.Up in the sky, the sun was slowly rising above the horizon turning it all shades of red and pink.Van was exhausted.They had been running for hours and soon even the mysterious shadow would have to get tired or hopefully disappear with the oncoming rays of the sun.All Van knew was that he wasn't going to be the first one to stop.Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light a few metres in front of Van.The shadow that had been chasing Van receded at this shock and gradually crumbled to the floor.Raising his head from behind the arm that he used to block the flash, Van could now see a figure standing where the light had been.Squinting his eyes, he could barely make out who it was.But then he felt as though his heart had stopped.That hair…those clothes.Could it really be Hitomi?Van walked forward towards and she started to smile.Yes, it was Hitomi!He would recognize that smile anywhere.As Van continued to move closer to Hitomi she unexpectedly started to cry.

"Hitomi!" cried out Van as he reached out for her.But before he knew it, Hitomi began to fade away."Hitomi, don't leave me…not again!"As soon as Hitomi disappeared, the darkness returned catching Van off guard and started to envelope him.It wrapped itself around Van squeezing tighter and tighter until he couldn't even take a breath.

"NOOOOO!"

Van awoke from his terrible nightmare in a cold sweat and gasping for air.He had never felt such pain in his life before.Not even when his family died nor when Escaflowne was undergoing repairs by the Ispano workers.No, the pain that Van felt was that of a broken heart.Seeing her cry and then disappear like that just tore him to pieces.He never ever wanted to see Hitomi sad.Nothing in the entire universe should be allowed to bring sadness to her sparkling green eyes and he would give his life to prevent that.But it was hopeless where he was.

Untangling himself from his sheets, Van got up, opened the curtains of his four-poster bed and walked out onto his balcony.The gentle breeze felt cold against his chest as it evaporated the sweat that was there but provided relief to his flushed face.All was peaceful and quiet except for the sound of the leaves rustling in the forest beyond and the flapping of Van's burgundy pyjama pants.It had been 3 long weeks since Van had sent his message to Hitomi and he still hadn't heard anything from her.Not a single thought or flash of light in the sky to let him know she had heard him.He was beginning to worry that the connection between them had been lost or worse, she didn't want to see him ever again.He was miserable and blue.No, he was a deeper shade of blue but there was nothing he could do because Hitomi was so far away.And, in the last few weeks, he had been a darker shade himself never wanting to go out or talk to anyone.If it weren't for Merle, he probably would have starved to death by now.

_'Oh Hitomi, why haven't you come back yet?Do you not care for me anymore?'_ Van thought to himself as he brushed away a strand of black hair from his eyes and looked up at the Mystic Moon, so beautiful just hanging in the night sky._'I've tried to move on but there's nowhere to run.I've got nowhere to hide.I can't forget you when I try. Why can't we be happy like Millerna and Dryden?The days are so empty and the nights are so long.I wake up from dreams only to find that you really did leave.Where are you, Hitomi?It's easy to say that memories fade, but I'm still missing you; nothing's changed.Have you forgotten the promise you made when you returned to the Mystic Moon?'_

Van could feel his sadness, pain, and frustration turn into anger as his eye fell upon the pink pendant that he had been wearing all of these years.A souvenir that Hitomi had given him to remember her by.Well, it had done its duty but it seems Hitomi has forgotten him.How could he have been such a fool?Why would anyone from the Mystic Moon love someone like him?He was the king of an incinerated kingdom that inhabited dangerous dragons.There was no way he could compete with the people of her world; there was no way he could compete with Amano.

"I'm such an idiot!!She never loved me!She only pitied me and my pathetic world!" shouted Van into the night.Just then, he heard his bedroom door creak open.

"L-l-l-lord Van?" whispered a gentle voice."Are you OK?"

"Go away, Merle!!How many times do I have to tell you I want to be ALONE!!?"

Merle, wearing a yellow robe, quietly closed the door behind her and walked over to where Van was standing."Maybe she's still packing and deciding what to bring back to Gaea.You know how Hitomi is.She's so picky.She probably doesn't know whether or not she should bring all her clothes.Do you think she'll bring more of those strange beeping gadgets?" comforted Merle.

"Haven't you realized that she isn't coming back?!She's happy back on the Mystic Moon!!She never wants to return here, to this dump!!" yelled Van shakily at the top of his lungs.He didn't care if the entire castle woke up right now, he was too angry to care."She lied, Merle!!!She doesn't care about me!She doesn't care about any of us here on Gaea!!!!!"

"But, L—"

"I DON'T WANT TO TALK OR THINK ABOUT HER ANYMORE!!!!!!!"Tears welled up in Van's eyes as he pulled off the gold chain from which the pendant hung."I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH HER AT ALL!!!!!"With that, he threw Hitomi's necklace out into the vast darkness of the woods and fell to his knees sobbing like a child.There was no need for him to keep the necklace any longer.It was obvious that Hitomi had moved on and had forgotten all about him and their relationship.

Merle knelt down next to Van and embraced him.He held her like one would hold his mother and continued to cry as she stroked his hair and hummed a lullaby to comfort him.Merle had never seen Van so emotional before.Perhaps it was because he was forced to grow up so quickly when his own family died, but Van had always kept his feelings private and for him to show all of it now just proves how much Hitomi affected him.Merle had given up on Van a long time ago but she still cared for him like a sister would.It tore her up inside seeing Van so sad.There was only one thing that could make Van happy again but she had no way of bringing Hitomi back.She knew that Hitomi loved Van and there was no way that Hitomi would not want to come back to Gaea.Although the two of them didn't get along as well at first, Merle had grown to care a lot about Hitomi during her stay on Gaea and they had become very close friends.It wasn't like Hitomi to abandon the people that she cared about.Something must be wrong.

Just then, a golden glimmer from the woods caught Merle's attention.She squinted her eyes to get a better look but it had already disappeared._'That must be Hitomi's necklace.Maybe it has the answer to why Hitomi hasn't contacted us yet.I need to get it back.As long as I'm alive I am going to make sure that Van is happy and reunited with Hitomi,'_ said Merle to herself with a determined look on her face.

By now, Van had fallen asleep in Merle's lap.He looked so fragile with his tears still on his face, glistening in the moonlight._'Don't worry Lord Van.I'm sure everything will turn out alright.'_She kissed him lightly on the forehead and got up slowly so that he wouldn't wake up.Before leaving for her room to get ready for her mission, Merle took the covers off of Van's bed and gently covered the sleeping king on the balcony.This wasn't the way things were supposed to be and she was going to make them right even if it means moving the heavens.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Back on Earth a.k.a. the Mystic Moon…

"…I hope you all understand why I must leave you.It's not that I'm not happy living here on the…I mean Earth, but there is someone on Gaea that can make me the happiest woman in the entire universe.You should all understand.Mom, Dad, you have each other and so do Tetsuro and his many girlfriends.Even you, Yukari.You and Amano are now husband and wife.I just want to be as happy as all of you are which is why I have to go back to Van.He is the only one that I will ever love.I wish that I could have told you this in person but it would have been too difficult.I wish all of you the happiness and good fortune you deserve.I'll try and visit or maybe you can come visit me on Gaea.Please don't worry about me.I'll be fine.I love you all.Goodbye for now."

Hitomi reached forward and turned off the video camera, waiting for the red light to go off before she took the tape out.That was much harder than she thought it would be.Instead of writing a letter, she felt that recording her message on tape would help her express her feelings better.She was right, but it ended up also showing her cry while saying goodbye.This way her loved ones would be able to see her one last time before she left.Although she was sad, she knew that this was the right thing to do.Van was the missing part of her life that would make her complete.It was time for her to return to man she loved.

After Yukari and Amano left for the airport from the reception, Hitomi motored her way home and began throwing things into her duffle bag.She had decided on exactly what she wanted to bring back to Gaea during her drive home.Only the absolute necessities would be taken with her.That meant a few pairs of jeans, her t-shirts, a few of her skirts and dresses, her tarot cards, pictures of her friends and family, and of course comfortable sneakers.The heels that she had been wearing for the wedding had been killing her.There was no way that these were going with her.

When Hitomi was finished labelling the tape for Yukari and the others, she walked over to her dresser and opened the top drawer.Hidden underneath the bottom board of the drawer was a secret compartment where Hitomi had placed her most valuable possessions.Inside there lay her tarot cards and next to them was a long slender box.Hitomi removed both items from the compartment and placed the cards into her bag.With the utmost care, Hitomi opened the box to expose a piece of soft red silk.Pulling the silk away, it revealed Van's majestic white feather.Hitomi stared at the feather.It was absolutely the most beautiful thing that Hitomi had ever seen and touched.She caressed the smooth quill with her finger and followed it all the way to the tip where it was so soft._'Soon I'll be with you again, Van,'_ thought Hitomi happily as she smiled.Taking one last look around at her home on Earth, Hitomi pulled her duffle bag over her head and shoulder all the while still holding Van's feather in her right hand.

"I wish…I want to go back to Gaea," said Hitomi out loud, closing her eyes and focusing all of her energy and thoughts towards the feather.Suddenly, Hitomi's bedroom was filled with the familiar pillar of pink light that had taken her to Gaea six years ago.She opened her eyes to see herself being pulled away from the carpeted floor of her room.It was working.She was returning to the place where Van was waiting for her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N:Yea!!I finally finished Chapter 3.I know that it was kind of boring but I'm still establishing the mood.I promise that things will get more interesting in the fourth chapter.Hopefully I can get that out soon but I still have to work and it is Stampede week so no promises.Once again, I don't own Escaflowne or any of the songs that I use in the story.Ta ta for now. 


	4. My Love

Traditions

OK, here is Chapter 4.It's mainly about Van and his feelings again but hopefully you don't find it too boring.I know I said in the last chapter that things would get interesting here but I had to push that back in order to smooth out the plot line.The song _My Love_ by Westlife was a small inspiration for Hitomi's part of this chapter.I couldn't really think of a title for this chapter but since all of the other ones were song titles I decided to do that again.Please let me know if you like what I'm doing so far or if you absolutely hate it.

Traditions

**Chapter 4: My Love**

The sky above Fanelia was a gloomy grey in the morning.Clouds covered every inch of the usually clear sky and the wind was chilly.If it were not for the loud clap of thunder, most of the castle would have stayed in bed for it was almost as dark as night outside.

Van was horribly awoken by a sudden gust of cold wind with a throbbing pain in his head from last night's rush of emotions.He quickly grabbed his blanket and ran back into his room right before huge drops of rain came plummeting down._'Great.Even the weather is just as depressed as I am,'_ thought Van to himself.He looked around the room to see where Merle had gone.Seeing his robe on a chair, he put it on and continued to search for the feline girl.His headache was a reminder as to what happened last night and he wanted to thank Merle for being there when he needed comforting.He was glad to have a friend like Merle be there for him.Ever since his parents and Folken died, Merle had been the only family he had left.Although he still felt miserable, Merle's little talk did give him a bit more hope and realize that he couldn't just give up on everything.He was a king and he had things to do; he couldn't put his life ahead of those of his subjects.

Leaving his room, Van walked down the long hallway and headed towards the Council Chamber where Merle usually hung out in the mornings.On the way there, he bumped into Lord Finnigan, the minister of defence.He was an old man in his mid-sixties, with long white hair and a long curly beard; he actually looked quite a bit like Emperor Dornkirk except not evil.Today, he was wearing his usual red and black velvet robes since it was quite cool outside.Lord Finnigan was Van's most trusted advisor.He had been around since Lord Goau was king and was a dear friend of Balgus.When Balgus went in search of Varie and Folken, it was Finnigan that took care of young Van.Because of that, Van respected him and cared for him like family.

"Good morning my lord.It's good to see that you have finally decided to leave your bedchamber," greeted Finnigan in his gruff old voice.

"Good morning to you too, Lord Finnigan," returned Van with a weak smile.He was embarrassed at the way he had acted in front of the council members during the last few weeks.Van's frustration with the current situation made him grumpy and irritated.At every council meeting anyone who would mention how he was feeling would be snapped at.He was amazed that Lord Finnigan still treated him so nicely."May I ask you a question?"

"But of course, Lord Van.What would you like to know?"

"I was wondering if you had seen Lady Merle this morning?"

"Yes I did.Actually it was still dark out the last time I saw her.She said something about a mission to find something and took off into the woods."

Van was suddenly reliving the previous night's events.He remembered the way he felt and the way he ripped off the necklace and threw it out into the darkness.His cheeks blushed as he realized how his actions immature his actions were.

"Thank you Lord Finnigan," said Van nodding his head as he turned on his heel to return to his room.

"Going back inside your shell so soon?" questioned Finnigan with a sly grin.

"A king cannot see to his kingly duties wearing just a robe and pyjamas now can he?" Van replied with a bigger smile than before.

Lord Finnigan gave a small chuckle as Van continued to head back down the hall.He was feeling better but this whole thing with Hitomi still made him feel awful.Questions ran through his head, as he got ready for his meetings.Was Merle right about Hitomi?Is there still a chance that Hitomi still wanted to be with him?Why do I have to go to so many meetings?Why do emotions have to be so frustrating?!All he wanted to do was to sit down and think everything through.But he couldn't.Merle wouldn't like it if he continued to mope and there isn't anything scarier than having Merle pissed off at you.His foolish actions last night had already led Merle out hunting in the woods, which meant an earful from the feline when she returned.This whole situation was enough to drive him insane.'_Why is my life filled with so much misfortune?'_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A sudden flash of white light once again surrounded Hitomi blinding her even though her eyes were shut. Soon she felt her feet gently touch the ground and as she stumbled to regain her balance, the light disappeared just as quickly as it appeared before. She looked around to see if she could tell where she had landed, but all that she could see was a pink and green blur that you get when you look at bright light. It would take a bit of time before her eyes would adjust back to normal, so Hitomi decided to sit down where she was and enjoy the warm rays of sun shining down.

Hitomi took a deep breath. It was so refreshing breathing in the cool country air. The green grass was so soft and inviting that Hitomi decided to lie down and relax after her long journey. She wondered what all of her friends were doing and how they were going to react when they saw that she had returned. What did they all look like now? Was Merle still just as annoying as ever or has she grown up to be "normal"?Gradually, Hitomi's thoughts drifted to Van._'Oh Van, my love.I wonder how you have changed.Are you still as stubborn and pig-headed as you were before?Have you grown taller and stronger than when I left?Are you still the boy that I fell in love with so long ago?How I wish I could be in your arms right now.To hold you in my arms, to promise you my love, to tell you from my heart that you're all I'm thinking of.I can't wait to see you once again, my love.'_It didn't take long for Hitomi to fall into a peaceful sleep as she relived her most precious memories.

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"Whoa!!!!Take it easy there, Tanja," said the driver as he pulled on the reigns of the horse drawn wagon.A rabbit had just jumped onto the road startling the horse causing it to jolt unexpectedly.

Hitomi stirred in the back of the wagon.The jolt had obviously woken her up from her pleasant nap.Opening her eyes, she saw the blue sky above her and a whole bunch of brown packages around her.She scrambled up to find that she had been laying in a small mound of hay with her duffle bag as a pillow.Looking around, she noticed that the wagon was stopped.Frightened that some nomads might have just kidnapped her, Hitomi took the chance that the wagon might be broken and tried to make a run for it.Just then, she heard a familiar voice call out to her from the driver compartment.

"I hope you don't plan of leaving again so soon," called out a deep scruffy voice.

Turning around, Hitomi recognized the voice right away.There was no mistaking the clothes and the hair."Dryden!!" she exclaimed as she reached out and gave him a big hug."I'm so glad to see you."

"Really?I thought you would've expected the first person you'd see would be a certain king with short dark hair, not long brown hair like mine."

Hitomi's cheeks flushed a bright crimson as she broke the hug."Well, yes, but I'm still very glad to see you and not some strange nomad who would sell me."

"Who said that I wasn't going to sell you?" replied Dryden with a sneaky grin."Just kidding.Well, let me take a look at you Miss Kanzaki.I am right, aren't I?You _are_ still Miss Kanzaki."

"Of course!" retorted Hitomi as she stepped back to let Dryden see her.Before she left the Mystic Moon, Hitomi had changed out of her bride's maid dress and into a nice fitting grey t-shirt and a pair of old comfy jeans.Her shoulder length hair, which had been in an up-do at the wedding was now undone and framing her face.She twirled around like a little girl for Dryden to see.

"You've grown into a very beautiful woman, not unlike my wife."

All Hitomi could do was blush even brighter.She never knew what to say when someone complemented her.After a brief moment of thought, Hitomi finally spoke up."You haven't changed one bit, Dryden."He, of course, was wearing his usual brown robes and had his hair tied up in a ponytail."I see you still haven't shaved."

"Millerna will like having you around to help her pester me into changing my habits.Well, come sit up here.We can talk as we make our way home," stated Dryden as he helped Hitomi up into the driver compartment.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Back in Fanelia…

The sun was slowly setting behind the horizon leaving the sky an amazing swirl of red, pink, orange, yellow, and grey.Earlier in the day, the rain had stopped but the clouds remained hiding the blue sky.Van had finished his duties for the day and was sitting on his balcony waiting for Merle to return.He was beginning to get worried.It wasn't like Merle to go off so long without checking in with him at least once.If anything were to happen to Merle because of him he would never forgive himself.Merle was his only loved one since his family died when he was young and Hitomi was nowhere to be found.Without her, he would have nothing.

Van waited until the sun had completely gone down and the only light available was that of the Mystic Moon which was bright enough to shine through the clouds before he could wait no longer.He called an emergency meeting and ordered a search party for the woods to find Merle.Something must've happened because Merle had been out for almost 24 hours and she still hadn't returned.Van needed Allen's advice in situations like these but he had gone to Asturia to visit Celena who had fallen ill recently.Everything in his life was going wrong and he had no idea what to do._'Where are you Merle?It can't be taking you that long to find the necklace.I've got to find you.I can't lose you too.'_Van clenched his fists into a tight ball as he made his decision.He couldn't just sit around when his best friend could be in danger.There was no choice but to reveal the secret he had tried so hard to keep; he had to use his wings.Van walked over to the balcony in his room pulling his red shirt over his head and placed it on the table by the doors.Miraculously, a pair of soft pearly white wings appeared from Van's back.He stretched them out as far as he could, sending the loose feathers flying about the room.Van took a deep breath and took off.It was quite dark out so hopefully not many people will spot him as he flew around.

The night air was crisp and cool as it brushed against Van's body.He shivered as the chill went through his body but he didn't let it faze him.Finding Merle was more important than a little chill.Van circled the air around the woods high and low squinting to see anything that resembled a furry orange feline with bright pink hair.Nothing.There wasn't a creature in sight anywhere.The only movement came from the tree branches and leaves moving in the wind.Van continued his search going back and forth hoping to see something that he missed but it was hopeless.His wings were getting tired and he was beginning to lose the feeling in his cheeks and arms from the cold wind.He knew he wouldn't last much longer outside so he reluctantly returned to the palace.

Van felt more horrible than last night.His entire world was crumbling down on him.Everything and anything that meant something to him was gone.Why did the gods curse him like this?Was it because he was half Draconian?He always knew he was cursed but he never expected it to harm his closest friend.

Just as Van landed back on the balcony, he heard pounding on his bedroom door.He quickly pulled his shirt back over his head and headed to open the door when suddenly, Finnigan came rushing in.

"Van!!Why didn't you come open the door?!I was worried that you might have done something unspeakable," said Finnigan between gasps.

"I'm sorry, Lord Finnigan.I was lost in my thoughts."

"Well, you better come out of those thoughts!News has come from downstairs that the soldiers have found a girl out in the woods.It might be Lady Merle or someone else, if you know what I mean.Come on hurry up!You'd think you were the elder by the speed you're moving, Van," exclaimed Finnigan as he grabbed Van by the wrist like a child and dragged him out the door.

Van's heart skipped a beat.Could Merle really have been found?Or even better yet, has Hitomi finally returned to him?


	5. Excitement & Disappointment

Traditions

A/N:OK, I can't believe that I just finished Chapter 5.That was fast…for me at least.I'm so happy.This means I'm getting closer to the fluffy part of the story.I hope this chapter didn't disappoint anyone.I had a bit of difficulty with how Millerna and Dryden get back together but I had some help from a nut called Almond.I know I borrowed the part "the greatest thing you'll ever learn is to love and be loved" from the movie _Moulin Rouge_ but it works.Amazingly enough, this chapter wasn't inspired by a song, however, a few of the songs that I was listening to during this chapter have inspired ideas for upcoming ones.Do you think I listen to too much music?Please read and review.Your reviews really help motivate me to write.TTFN.

Traditions

**Chapter 5:Excitement & Disappointment**

"And so, that's what I had to do to get Millerna to fall completely in love with me.It was quite the accomplishment I'd have to say so myself," gloated Dryden as he continued to steer Tanja along the gravel road.He tried to direct Tanja with his feet but had to quickly grab the reigns with his hands again to avoid going into a ditch.

"I can't believe you kept toying with her like that," stated Hitomi in shock."So let me get this straight.You would come visit her and take her out on a romantic date and then leave for months at a time."

"Yep.I went with the whole distance makes the heart grow fonder (*Dryden does the quote thing with his hands*) all the while making sure that she wouldn't forget me with my visits.It took a while but it worked.I'm sure you have a first hand understanding of how distance makes you love someone even more that you could imagine," winked Dryden.Hitomi blushed.She didn't know what to say.

"You must love Millerna a lot to have such patience with her.You never gave up did you?"

"One of the most important things that everyone should learn in life is to love and be loved, Hitomi.Love is a many splendoured thing and you should never give up on it."

Hitomi blushed again as she looked down into her lap.Did she and Van have what Dryden and Millerna have?She smiled.They must because she loved him more than ever right now and he wanted to her to come back to him._'Oh God.I can't believe this is happening.I'm finally going to be with the one I love.I feel like I'm dreaming.I can't be, because my dreams are coming true.'_

Her thoughts were interrupted when Dryden spoke up again."I'm assuming that you're kind of disappointed that you landed in Asturia instead of Fanelia aren't you Hitomi?"

Not wanting to sound rude Hitomi replied, "Well, I am a little disappointed but I'm still very happy to visit you, Millerna, and the others in Asturia too.I mean, if everything goes well, I'll have the rest of my life to be in Fanelia."She couldn't contain her happiness any more.Her life was finally going to be complete and she wanted to shout that out to everyone there on Gaea and on the Mystic Moon.

"Right you are Hitomi."

"I'm also very glad that you found me.I don't think I would have figured out where I was.Everything has changed since I left."

"A lot has changed but I don't think I'll ever forget what happened.It seems just like yesterday when you left and then I saw the pillar of light again and here you are in front of me," Dryden said with a smile."So, tell me about your last six years on the Mystic Moon.I believe you call it Earth."

"Yeah."Taking a deep breath Hitomi continued, "Well, when I got back I had to answer a lot of questions about where I had been.I don't think many people believed my story but I didn't care.As long as my closest friends, Yukari and Amano, and my family believed me I was happy.Um, let's see.I finished high school and then I went to college.I finished my 4-year degree in only 3 years, which I guess is _my_ big accomplishment."

"Wow.It seems like you've been keeping really busy.You had lots to do back on the M…I mean Earth.Why did you come back…besides Van, if you don't mind me asking?"

Hitomi squirmed at the question.She really had no other reason to return to Gaea except for Van.There was nothing keeping her on Earth so the only thing that seemed right to do was to come back to her second home.

"That's OK.I'm sure love is good reason enough.Well, looking from the scenery, we should be back in Palas in about an hour and a half," informed Dryden as he panned his head to get a good view of the area.

"I'm so excited to see everyone.Hmm, that reminds me.Why exactly are you travelling by wagon?What happened to your ship?"

"I had some business to take care of in Basram.I leave all the political stuff for Millerna to deal with.I've never been much of a diplomat.As for the whole wagon thing, it was a part of my plan and it just became a habit.I sold my ship and started travelling by wagon to make my business trips take longer.It allows me to enjoy the landscape and gives me time to think.Hey look ahead.Can you see the palace?" Dryden asked as he pointed up ahead.

Hitomi stood up a little and squinted her eyes.There, in the distance, stood the marble palace of Asturia.At that particular moment, all that could be seen were the huge towers of the palace but, if Hitomi remembered correctly, soon they would see a huge architectural achievement of blue stone with tall columns and numerous fountains surrounding the perimeter.Life here on Gaea would be so different from the skyscrapers, cars, and traffic of Tokyo but she was looking forward to it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lord Finnigan quickened his step as he tried to keep up with his king. The news of finding a girl made Van happy, nervous, anxious, and excited all at the same time.He would be so glad if it was Merle and completely overjoyed if it was the love of his life.This could be the moment that his life finally makes a turn for the better.The hallways of the palace never seemed longer as he sped his pace up to a run leaving poor old Finnigan behind.Finnigan was completely out of breath and was leaning against a nearby table.

"You go on ahead, Van.I'll catch up with you later," puffed Finningan in between gasps."First he doesn't move fast enough, and now he's motoring like a pig on fire," he continued under his breath.

Van looked back and smiled just as he turned the corner.As soon as he reached the meeting room where the girl was waiting, he pushed open the double doors creating a loud bang.

"Where is she?Merle?" shouted Van as he came running into the room looking around frantically. "…Hitomi?"

"She's over here, Your Majesty," responded a royal guard wearing red and black armour as he escorted Van over to the chairs by the fireplace."She was soaking wet when we found her so we're trying to warm her up.I gave her my own blanket to help too.When we found her she was only wearing a black dress."

"Thank you, Harlock.Could you please give us a moment alone?" Van said as calmly as he could while waving his hand to get the guard to leave.

"Yes, sir," answered the guard hesitantly.He didn't want to leave just yet; he wanted to see what happens.

This was it.Van took a deep breath as he continued walking towards the fireplace.The girl hadn't run up and tackled him so it wasn't Merle…it had to be Hitomi.He could suddenly feel his heart beat faster the closer he got to the chair.His hands started to sweat so he wiped them dry on his robe as he continued towards the chair.Thoughts were running through his head like crazy.What should he say?Should he just hug her and hold her in his arms or just stand there?He had always known what to do in his daydreams but now that the time has finally come he was drawing a complete blank.Hopefully things will work out.

"Hi—" began Van, but even before he could finish her name his heart sank.It wasn't her.Hitomi had not returned to him.He could feel the rush of emotions in him when his eyes met those of the mystery girl.He was entranced.She had long straight auburn hair that must've gone down to her waist.Her eyes were deep cobalt making them seem cold and empty yet Van couldn't take his eyes away.He just stood there looking at her, lost in the blueness of her eyes.The girl just sat there and returned the look that Van gave her.Slowly, she got up from the chair taking off the blanket that had been draped over her for warmth and walked over to Van never once breaking their gaze.She smiled and in a very sweet voice whispered, "My name is Kimera."


	6. Breathless

Traditions

Well here's Chapter 6.I'm in a very silly mood at the moment so it might be a tad bit…well, silly.For this particular chapter, I was listening to the song _Breathless_ by the Corrs, hence the chapter is called Breathless.I hope you like.Enjoy.

Traditions

**Chapter 6:Breathless**

The cool breeze over the mountain (hee hee, that's known as a keanu in Hawaiian ;p) blew through Hitomi's silky brown hair as she inhaled a deep breath.God, she just loved the smell of the fields of Fanelia; they reminded her so much of Van.She looked around and found herself standing in the field where she and Van first arrived together in his kingdom.Green grass up to her waist interspersed with wild country flowers were all swaying in the gentle wind as the warm sun shone down at her.A feeling of peace and happiness ran through her body as she took another good look around.She was finally where she belonged.There was no better feeling in the entire universe, except for perhaps being in Van's arms.Hitomi blushed at the thought of this.

Taking another look around at her surroundings, Hitomi noticed a pair of eyes looking at her from a short distance.At first she was startled, but then as she stared into those brown eyes she was left breathless._'Van.'_

The daylight was fading slowly, as the king of Fanelia rose from his hiding spot in the tall grass with a mischievous smile on his face and began walking towards her.To Hitomi, it felt as if time was standing still.She had been waiting for this moment and the slightest touch of his hand on her face made her weak.As he brushed his hand over her cheek, Hitomi closed her eyes and felt her entire face flush a deep pink.She couldn't hide or fight her feelings for him; all she wanted was just to feel his lips on hers.Suddenly, she felt Van pull away from her.Opening her eyes, she saw him walk away with the same mischievous grin as if he was trying to get her to follow him._'All right, Van Fanel, I'll follow you.I'll let you tempt and tease me while I long for your kiss.You're going to get it when I get my hands you,'_ thought Hitomi playfully to herself as she began to chase after Van.It had been a while since Hitomi had ran this fast and she loved every moment of it.Van was still quite a bit ahead of her but she was closing the gap very quickly.He kept looking back at her with that grin of his making her more determined to catch him.This was like a dream that Hitomi never wanted to wake up from.Just as Hitomi was about an arm's length away, she unexpectedly heard her name.She skidded to a halt looking around for whomever was calling her.Nobody was there except for Van who hadn't stopped running and was almost out of sight.

"VAN!"

"Hitomi!!"

"Wha…" groaned Hitomi as she blinked her eyes open.

"Wake up, Hitomi.We're at the palace," announced a very perky Dryden as he jumped off the wagon.How could he be so happy?He had just woken Hitomi up from one of her best dreams.A dream so sweet and wonderful that just the mere thought of it still left her breathless.

"May I help you down?" whispered a deep voice into Hitomi's ear.

"Allen!!!" exclaimed Hitomi as she spun herself around.She would recognize that voice anywhere.The magnificent Knight of Caeli then swept Hitomi off her feet and placed her back down onto the ground.Sir Allen Schezar hadn't changed one bit.His long blonde hair was as shiny as ever and his tall, broad physique still amazed Hitomi.Even his clothes were still the same.Hitomi tackled Allen and gave him a big hug.

"If you hug him any tighter I think you might break him in two," interrupted a gentle voice of a woman with long silver hair tied up in a ponytail.She was wearing a dress very much like the one that Hitomi had borrowed from Millerna during her first visit to Asturia except that it was lavender, which helped bring out her purple eyes."You must be Hitomi.My brother has told me much about you."

"How rude of me?Hitomi, this is my sister Celena."

"It's very nice to meet you Celena," said Hitomi as she bowed with the palms of her hands together.

"Oh, there's no need for that Hitomi," responded Celena to Hitomi's odd behaviour.

"Oh, that's just a habit.It's Japanese tradition to greet people by bowing to show them respect."

"Oh, I see," replied the slender girl a little embarrassed."I don't think what _those_ two are doing anything very respectful at the moment," she continued, motioning to the King and Queen of Asturia with her eyes who were locked in a very passionate embrace."You'd think they'd give it a rest after a month.Newlyweds."Celena rolled her eyes.

Hitomi was confused.Weren't Millerna and Dryden married before the Destiny War?"Newlyweds?"

"Yes.They renewed their vows just over a month ago.Now let's go inside and leave the two love birds before even I get nauseous," stated Allen as he escorted his sister and Hitomi back inside.

"No wonder he was so perky when we got here," whispered Hitomi to the giggling Celena as they hurried into the lobby of Asturia's palace.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The rest of the day passed by quickly for Hitomi.First, a very hyper Celena showed her to her room where she changed into a dress that she borrowed from Millerna.Celena offered one of her dresses but Hitomi wasn't as slender as she was.The dress that Hitomi ended up borrowing was baby blue in colour and fit Hitomi amazingly well.It perfectly outlined her curves on top showing the lovely woman that she had become and flowed out smoothly to her feet.The sleeves came down to a V-shape just above her elbows.Around the neckline and hems were little pearls sewn in groups of five to resemble flowers.

After the whole dressing event, Hitomi was then was taken on a grand tour of the palace grounds where she and Celena got to sit down in the garden and have a good chat.It was amazing how different this person was now that Celena was in control and not the blood thirsty Dilandau.Celena explained to Hitomi how after she and Van had destroyed all of Dornkirk's work all of the fate alteration changes that were done to her were reversed.The only visible trace of Dilandau were her purple eyes, a combination of Dilandau's red ones and Celena's blue ones.However, who knows what her mental state is like.So far, she seemed just like any ordinary girl.Actually, Celena reminded Hitomi a lot of Yukari who was very bubbly and energetic.If this is the way Celena was, then she must have a strong mind to overcome all that had happened.

"Hitomi?"

"Yeah, Celena."

"Um, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for all those things that I did to you six years ago," Celena said quietly with her head hung low.

"Oh, Celena, you don't have to be sorry.You had no control over what was going on then.Please don't feel bad about it.I don't," comforted Hitomi with her warm smile.

"Really, Hitomi."

"Really."

"So, how long are you going to stay on Gaea, Hitomi?" asked Celena as she played with a fold in her dress like a little girl with a big grin on her face.

"Well, I was actually, um, hoping to possibly stay here forever," replied a very nervous and shy Hitomi.She always thought she would tell Van first but with Celena being so much like Yukari, she felt like she could tell her everything.

"Really?!That's so great!!" squealed Celena with joy."I'll finally have someone to talk to who actually understands.Millerna has been of no use ever since she got married.All she ever talks about is Dryden this and Dryden that.Eries is useless too.She's way too serious and whenever she does relax a little it's only because Allen is around."

"Wait a minute.Is there something going on with Allen and Eries?"

"Well, no one is supposed to know but since you are like the closest person I have to a friend, yeah.They've been seeing each other for about 2 years now.It's great that he's finally found someone who makes him happy but I can't take it.I'm surrounded by happy love couples meanwhile I'm here all alone."

"I can't believe it.That means that Allen's dated all of the Aston women," uttered Hitomi a little disgusted.

"I know.I guess it's his fate that he ends up with one.It's almost as if he's always known he was meant to be with an Aston.Anyway, we're going to have so much fun, Hitomi.You, me and Merle."

"Merle?"

"Yea, you know.Cat-girl.Kinda bossy.Angers easily."

"Oh my god.I could never forget Merle.So you and Merle are good friends?"

"Mmm hmm.But we only get to hang out when I visit Allen in Fanelia.But once you're queen, I'm sure he'd let me come live there too," answered Celena winking."That entire palace is full of men and Allen won't let me stay there by myself.Something about how they might take advantage of a poor defenceless girl such as yours truly.I guess he would know first hand wouldn't he?"

Hitomi went red and then started laughing.She had never heard anyone talk of Allen that way before.It was funny to see how such a highly respected knight and commander can be treated just like everyone else.Seeing Hitomi's amusement, Celena also began laughing.

"Hold on a second," said Hitomi as she tried to stop laughing."Allen lives in Fanelia now?"

"Yes.He's Asturia's ambassador and temporary ruler of Fanelia when Van is away," sighed Celena as she wiped away the tears from laughing too hard.

"Van?"

"Oh, not you too," pleaded Celena.After a very brief pause the two girls were laughing again.They had just met a few hours ago, but it seemed like they had known each other for years.

"What are you two laughing about?" came Allen's voice from out of nowhere."Celena, you know you shouldn't exhaust yourself so much.You just recovered from your illness."

"What illness?" questioned a startled Hitomi with a worried look on her face.

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about.I'm perfectly fine.I was just overtired and stressed with all the love in the palace."

"It wasn't nothing," interjected Allen."She collapsed in the middle of dinner.Millerna was so worried that she immediately sent for me to come back to Asturia."

"Well, maybe next time you'll take me with you to Fanelia.That way you can keep a closer eye on me," said Celena sarcastically.

"Um, sorry to interrupt the brother-sister moment, but when can I go to Fanelia?" an eager Hitomi asked.

"I'm sorry Hitomi, but the Crusade isn't due to return to take me back till next week.There are other ways of getting there but it wouldn't be as fast and safe as the Crusade.Van would kill me if I let anything happen to you.He's already grumpy enough as it is because it's taken you such a long time to come back," replied Allen.

"Long time?I'm the one that should be mad that he took such a long time to contact me!I came as soon as I got that message last night!"

"You just got it last night?!" exclaimed both Allen and Celena."I have no idea how many messages that Van sent, but I do know for sure that he sent one on the night of Millerna and Dryden's wedding and that was over a month ago.Just a few days before I returned to Asturia," continued Allen.

"I can't believe it.An entire month."Tears were forming in Hitomi's eyes as she stared blankly into a rose bush."He must think I don't love him anymore.Oh, Van."Her tears began to run down her cheeks as she crumpled into a tiny mass of baby blue.

Celena knelt down by her side and put her arm around to comfort her."Don't think that way Hitomi.He would never think such a thing.He knows you love him and he loves you.He's already waited six years.What are another few weeks?Trust me, he'll be the happiest man in all of Gaea when he sees you next week."

"But why did it take so long for me to have the vision?" asked Hitomi in between sobs.

Celena looked up at her older brother for help."Well, it has been quite a long time and the Mystic Moon is very far away.Maybe the link between you two was weakened by those factors," reassured Allen.Although he had given up on Hitomi's love for sometime now, Allen still cared for her deeply and thought of her as a sister.It pained him to see her so hurt."Don't worry Hitomi.From the way he looked at Millerna and Dryden's wedding, I'm sure Van is waiting endlessly for you to come back.He beat out a lot of men to get Millerna's scarf."

Hitomi looked up, her eyes all puffy and red from the crying."What?" inquired Hitomi with a sniffle.

"That's the tradition here in Gaea," answered Celena happily."You see, after the wedding, the groom tosses his wife's scarf into the air while all the available men try and poke it with a sword."Celena was mimicking poking an invisible scarf with her invisible scarf causing Hitomi to start laughing."The lucky man that gets the scarf is supposedly the next person to get married.Silly don't you think?"

Hitomi wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "No, not really.We have a tradition like that on the Mystic Moon.The only difference is that the bride throws her bouquet to all the single girls."

"Now that's silly!" shouted Allen all of a sudden surprising the two girls.Celena and Hitomi looked at each other and then gave Allen a what-was-that-all-about look."What?See Hitomi, Van loves you and wants you to go back to him.Why else would he put so much effort in getting the scarf?You know you two should be together.Everyone knows."Hitomi smiled back at Allen.

"Good.Now that that's over we can go get some dinner.I can't believe we spent all day out here.It's so nice.Hitomi, you have got to try the cheesecake.It's absolutely to die for," cheered Celena as they headed back to the palace.

"I can't believe that you eat so much and yet you don't gain any weight.Look at you.You look like a twig," teased Allen.

Celena gave him a nasty glare and continued, "Oh, and you have to try the pudding.I hope the food in Fanelia is as good as it is here…"

Hitomi's mind drifted off as she followed the bickering brother and sister through the garden.She looked off to the distance in the direction of Fanelia._'I hope I'm as welcome when I return to Fanelia…when I return to Van.'_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ta da!!That was a rather long conversation chapter.I didn't plan on it being so but it ended up being one.I hope you like Celena's personality.I modeled her bitterness towards the happy couples in the palace after my own…er…I mean what I think people in her situation might feel. *glances around innocently*I know I haven't really gotten into the whole action(?) and excitement part of the story yet but I promise it will start in Chapter 7…hopefully.What do you think about the Allen and Eries relationship?I kinda borrowed that bit from another story that I read here on fanfiction.net but I can't remember the name.I hope you don't mind whoever you are.I also kinda borrowed the whole "he's always known he'd be with an Aston" thing from _Little Women_.You know the whole Laurie wanted Jo but she said no so he ended up with Amy blah blah blah.Well, I better shut up here before someone gets annoyed with me and won't read my story anymore.Please, please, please review my story.I don't care whether you're bashing or supporting me I just want to know what you think.Your reviews are what motivate me to write faster.Neway, TTFN!


	7. Majesty of Fanelia

Traditions

Traditions

**Chapter 7:Majesty of Fanelia**

A small sliver of golden sunlight shone in through the open window illuminating the sleeping figure on the bed.Hitomi stirred as the rays of light reached her eyes waking her from her slumber.Sitting up, she blinked away sleep from her eyes and stretched her well-rested body.It had been a long week in Asturia, a fun and informative week but nonetheless long.Although Hitomi was enjoying her time with Celena, Allen, Millerna, and Dryden in Asturia, she couldn't wait for the week to end so that she could go to Fanelia and more importantly return to Van._'Oh, Van.I can't wait to see you.How will you react when you see me?Will you be happy or will you be sad?I hope I don't cry.I don't want you to see me cry even if it is because I'm happy.Oh, I wish I could be in Fanelia right now.'_

"Well, I better get ready," said Hitomi quietly as she got out of bed.The day was finally here when she and Allen would return to Fanelia.She wanted to get there as soon as possible so she decided to start getting ready at sunrise.Most of her possessions and clothes, some her own and some borrowed from Millerna, were already packed away in her duffle bag.All she needed to do really was to get changed and go find Allen.She had decided to wear a nice lavender gown that Millerna had given her during her stay.It was sleeveless with a high collar and a snug fitting bodice.Actually, Hitomi had wanted to wear her jeans and a t-shirt for the long journey from Asturia to Fanelia but Celena and Millerna wouldn't let her.

"You can't wear that!!!" exclaimed Millerna pointing to Hitomi's hip hugger jeans and grey t-shirt."Why not?" asked a perplexed Hitomi as she watched Millerna gesture at her clothes. 

"It's not like Van's never seen me in my Mystic Moon clothes before."

"Hitomi," replied Millerna rolling her eyes. "This is your reunion with the man of your dreams, the love of your life. You can't just show up in a pair of trousers or whatever you call them. You have to shock him!!"There was a sneaky gleam in her eyes as she pulled the lavender dress out of the closet. "Something like this that will make him blush and go all numb. Even better if it makes him pass out. Hee hee!!" Hitomi couldn't help from laughing at the thought of Van "falling" for her. "A dress like this that can make even the most composed men turn their heads drooling. This," Millerna spun around and held the dress up to show Hitomi, "is what you have to wear."

In the end, Hitomi agreed with Millerna that she did want to shock Van speechless when he sees her again and so was now wearing the lavender dress. Her hair was left to flow down to just above her shoulders to give it a more seductive look just like Allen's as Celena put it with a smirk.

"OK, do I have everything? Let's see, all of my clothes are packed in my bag and so is my brush, toothbrush yada yada and where is it?" questioned Hitomi as she rummaged through her duffle bag. "Aha. There you are. I can't forget you now can I?" In her hand she was holding Van's soft pearly white feather. She tickled her face with it and kissed it before she wrapped it back up and gently tucked it back in her bag. Taking one last look in the mirror, Hitomi took a deep breath and left her room. _'This is it. I'm finally going back to Fanelia.'_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hitomi wasn't the only one to rise with the sun. In fact, the entire Asturian palace was already up and running which amazed Hitomi. Why would everyone be up so early unless they were going on a trip? Luckily she spotted someone in the hallway that could answer that.

"Huh?" asked Celena as she turned her head towards her right shoulder, which was being poked at.

"Gotcha!!"

"Don't do that!! You scared the crap out of me!!" Celena quickly covered her mouth after realizing that she just swore...well not really but Allen would say she did.

"Don't worry, Allen isn't here."

"Phew. I would never hear the end of it if he caught me." Turning around completely, Celena finally saw what Hitomi was wearing. "Wow, you look amazing in that dress. Van is going to be knocked speechless when he sees you."

Hitomi blushed a deep shade of pink. "Thanks." She twirled around so that Celena could see the back too.

"So, are you ready to go back to Fanelia?"

"Yep! Hey, why don't you come with us now instead of later?"

"I wish I could but I'm working on something," replied Celena with a secretive look in her eyes.

"What are you up to, Celena?" interrogated Hitomi with a sly grin on her face knowing that the slender girl was up to no good.

"Nothing," stated Celena in an artificially innocent voice. "Oh, I can't take it. I have to tell you but you have to promise not to breathe a single word out to anyone especially Allen. He'll have my head if he finds out I told."

"You know you can trust me, Celena."

"OK, come closer," whispered Celena to her friend as they walked closer to the wall so as to not stop the traffic in the hallway. The two girls giggled like little school children as Celena told her secret to Hitomi. Hitomi's expression on her face went from suspicious to utter shock. Her eyes widened and her jaw almost dropped to the floor.

"I can't believe it!!" exclaimed Hitomi with her hand covering her mouth.

"It's true. That's why everyone is so busy right now and why I can't go to Fanelia yet. I'll be meeting up with you in a few days. Remember, not a word to anyone."

"Gotcha!" answered a winking Hitomi. Just then Allen walked up to the friends in the hall.

"What are you two giggling about?" inquired the Knight of Caeli.

"Um, nothing," replied the two giddy girls in unison.

"I'm not sure about Hitomi, but I know you're up to something Sis."

"Whatever do you mean, Brother?" asked Celena with her innocent voice again with the addition of big purple puppy dog eyes.

"Um," interrupted Hitomi before Allen could interrogate Celena any further, "can we get going soon, Allen? I want to try to get to Fanelia before nightfall." By this time Hitomi was tugging at Allen's sleeve trying to make him move.Allen began walking away but not before he gave his sister a warning. "You're lucky that I have to leave right now or else you would be spilling your guts out right now. I'll find out what's going on, mark my words," stated Allen with a grin on his handsome face.

Celena blew a raspberry at him and started to wave good-bye from her spot in the hallway. "Bye, Hitomi!! See you in a few days. Bye bye, Allena!!" Allen tried to retort his sister's display of disrespect and wave of laughter but before he could, he was pulled out the door by Hitomi and on their way to Fanelia.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The landscape of Gaea was amazing. One could see miles out into the distances when in the air, unlike on Earth where pollution made it almost impossible to see past the city limits. Gaea was covered with lush emerald green forests and sapphire blue oceans. Every once in a while, Hitomi saw a small patch of brown rooves where a village or city was but other than that, it was all nature. Hitomi never once left the balcony of the Crusade. There really wasn't a point to. Gaddes and Allen were too busy discussing something to talk to her so she just enjoyed her flight in solitude.

She just loved the feeling of flying and seeing such a spectacular view.It made her feel free and weightless like a bird. Before her visit to Gaea, Hitomi hated to fly. The whole possiblity of explosions and plummeting at terminal velocity to her death scared the bejesus(sp?) out of her. But, ever since she flew in Van's arms, there wasn't a better feeling in the world. Unfortunately, the flight portion of Hitomi's trip was rather short. Within an hour, the Crusade landed at the dock on the  
borders of Fanelia where a carriage was waiting for Allen. 

_'Oh, I wish the flight could have lasted longer. I guess I'll have to get Van to fly me around later,'_ thought Hitomi to herself as a smile crept across her face.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Allen as he helped Hitomi into the carriage.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about how Van's going to react when he sees me."

"Well, he won't be completely surprised because I already sent him a message telling him that I had a surprise guest returning with me."

"Allen! Now what kind of surprise will it be!"

"He doesn't know it's you. He probably thinks it's Celena the genius he is."

"Are you mocking the love of my life?" 

"Maybe."

"What if he's smart enough to think that you're bringing Eries?" teased Hitomi with a very sneaky grin on her face.

"I knew Celena told you.How much do you know?"

"Let's just say that I know enough to say 'Congratulations!!!!'I would have never expected that it would be Eries that would tie you down," giggled Hitomi.

"Well, she was always there when I needed someone to talk to or just be there for me," replied Allen dreamily."At first I thought she hated my guts for that whole thing with Marlene and Chid and of course then there was Millerna.But then…"

"Then she couldn't resist your charms and good looks and fell madly in love with you just like her sisters did," continued Hitomi with a chuckle.

Allen gave her a dirty look."Look, if you're going to make fun of me you're not going to be invited to the wedding."

"Oh no.I'm sorry Allen.I didn't mean to mock you.It's just that your story is so fairy tale like.Please let me come to your wedding," pleaded Hitomi with big green puppy dog eyes.

"So that's where Celena learned to do that," said Allen with a smile.Hitomi returned the smile."Of course you can come.You know I was only joking."

Hitomi didn't hear a single word that Allen had just said.Her eyes were no longer on the handsome blonde Knight of Caeli.She was staring out the window, her eyes glazed over and dreamy.Allen turned around and looked out the window on the other side.Sure enough they had just entered the capital of Fanelia and were now headed towards the palace, which was located at the centre.

Hitomi was speechless at the view she was looking at.There was no trace at all of the Destiny War that had taken place six years ago.Everything looked the same as when she first arrived in Fanelia after Van retrieved the drag energist.There were small buildings that Hitomi assumed to be little shops and bazaars here and there and around the edge of what seemed like the downtown of a city were brown and white cottages and houses.The reconstructed Fanelia was breathtaking.

"It's amazing what Van's done isn't it?" asked Allen bringing Hitomi back to reality.

"Mmm hmm," replied Hitomi when a giant aquamarine building caught her eye."Is that the palace?" asked Hitomi in a voice so quiet that Allen could hardly hear her.

"Yes it is, and it looks like the King is waiting outside to welcome us," replied Allen in a calm and collected voice as he pointed to a dark haired figure standing at the top of the steps.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well, there it is, Chapter 7.Sorry for taking such a very, very long time to get it out. I've been rather preoccupied with trying to get my hands on a copy of Sailormoon Sailor Stars.I'm still missing the most important volume that contains the final battle.Hopefully I'll be able to get it soon so that I can devote all of my time to writing my story.I was also kind of stuck on how to start this chapter.I know everyone wants Van and Hitomi to meet and guess what, she's almost there.Actually they'll see each other in Chapter 8, which I hope can be out very soon, maybe even at the same time as Chapter 7.It might be a bit short but still, they will meet, I promise you that.And, for those who are interested, I don't even know if any of you are, but I probably won't be naming any of the next few chapters including this one after any songs.I really don't know of any songs that would work for conflict so I'll just leave that theme for a while and bring it back for when the fluff begins.One might come to mind but no promises.I wish I could just write fluff and not action *sigh*.NEway, I hope you enjoyed this.Please R&R.TTFN, Emily :p


	8. Surprises

Traditions

Traditions

**Chapter 8:Surprises **

"Look, Your Majesty, it's the carriage!" exclaimed Harlock.

"Yes, I see it.It's going to be great now that Allen's returned.Has everything been prepared for the feast tonight?" replied a very cheerful Van as he continued to look into the distance at the black and red carriage made its way closer.

"Yes sire!"

"Excellent!Tonight we will celebrate the return of our good friend and his guest, which reminds me.I wonder who this mysterious guest is?If Allen thinks he can surprise me, wait till he sees what I have in store for him."

When Allen and Hitomi's carriage reached the palace gates, Van began walking down the marble steps and began waving.Hitomi watched Van's every movement._'He's grown much taller and more muscular.His hair is still just as messy but looks good on him.'_She could feel her heart skip a beat and her cheeks heat up as the carriage drew nearer to the King of Fanelia._'He looks so good.Why did I ever leave him in the first place?That must've been the biggest mistake in my life.He's never looked better in that red shirt of his.Oh, and those tight pants.I wonder where Merle is?'_

"I'll go out first, then I'll bring you out alright, Hitomi?" interrupted Allen.

Hitomi nodded and closed her eyes waiting to hear Van's voice.

"Allen!!!!"Hitomi felt tingly all over her body.Van's voice was much deeper now but still ever so comforting and sweet to Hitomi's ears.She took a deep breath preparing herself for her big entrance.

"Van!It's so good to see you," exclaimed Allen as he embraced his good friend.

"You too friend!How long has it been?A month?"

"Yep, I returned to Asturia a week after getting back from Millerna and Dryden's wedding."

"Ah, yes.And how is the royal couple?"

"Very much in love and happy, which reminds me.I have a surprise for you Van," Allen stated as he stepped back toward the carriage to the waiting Hitomi.By this time, Hitomi was so nervous and anxious that her hands were shaking and sweating.

"Wait.Before you show me my surprise, I also have a surprise for you first," interrupted Van as he turned and waved someone to come over.It was a girl with long straight auburn hair wearing a long blood red dress.She was around Van and Hitomi's age and she came running out of the palace doors into Van's arms.Allen was speechless.Who was this mysterious girl?

"Allen, I'd like to meet Kimera, the love of my life!" said Van happily, kissing Kimera on the forehead.

Allen was shocked.Was this some kind of joke that Van was playing?Where did this girl come from?There was no way that Van loved this girl; he loves Hitomi with his entire heart and soul.Allen sensed something strange and he didn't like it one bit but he couldn't let Van know just yet.He was obviously mystified by this Kimera.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Kimera.I am Sir Allen Schezar," declared Allen in his calm knightly voice as he reached for the mystery girl's hand and kissed it.

"It's my pleasure, Sir Schezar," replied Kimera in a very soft melodic voice.

Inside the carriage, Hitomi was frozen.Those four words were like flaming hot daggers stabbing into her heart breaking it into a million pieces._'I was such a fool!!!Why would I ever think that he would still love me after all these years?I'm such an idiot!!I wish I were dead!'_Tears were forming at her eyes but she just couldn't let them flow; she was still in too much of a shock to really do anything.

Van wrapped his arms around Kimera's waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.She, in turn, put her arms around his."So, Allen.Now that I've shown you your surprise, who do you have waiting in that carriage for me?" inquired Van as he tried to get a closer look into the carriage. "I see your surprise is also a girl.Well, Allen.What are you waiting for?Introduce us to your lady friend."

Allen smiled and nodded."I must warn you, Van.She is a very shy girl and new surroundings such as these might make her a little uncomfortable," insisted Allen, knowing that Hitomi must be in a state of distress, as he approached the carriage door.

"That's alright," piped Kimera in her delicate voice, "we'll make her feel as welcome as possible."Allen looked back at Van and Kimera.He couldn't help but notice what seemed like an evil twinkle in Kimera's deep blue eyes while Van's burgundy eyes seemed empty.There was definitely something strange going on.

When Allen opened the carriage door, he found Hitomi crumpled into a lavender pile on the floor.She was sobbing heavily.The shock had finally left her and she was letting all of her pain and sorrow flow out of her as tears.She was an idiot to believe that Van loved her and now she was paying the price for such a stupid mistake.Her heart ached as it was torn to a million tiny pieces.All she wanted right now was for someone to put her out of her misery, not go out where she would be humiliated.

"Hitomi," whispered Allen as he reached down to her shoulder.

"Leave… me… alone…" cried Hitomi in between sobs.

"Hitomi, you have to get a hold of yourself," pleaded Allen as he pulled Hitomi up by her shoulders.She struggled a little but then just closed her eyes and gave in to Allen still breathing in gasps."I know that things don't look good right now, but you can't let it get to you."

Hitomi cut him off before he could finish his sentence."How can I?I can't look him in the face let alone that, that…" She couldn't hold back her tears and began to bawl again.

Allen shook Hitomi to get her attention."Look at me Hitomi," commanded the blond knight in a calm voice.Hitomi slowed her tears and stared into Allen's cerulean eyes."I know for a fact that when I left, Van was hopelessly devoted to you and your love.The Van that stands out there now is not the same one that you and I care for.Something happened and the only way to find out is for us to play along.Do you understand what you have to do?"

"B…but…"

"No buts, Hitomi.Things here aren't right and I will do everything in my power to put them right again for you and Van.I'm asking you again, do you understand what you have to do?"Hitomi hesitantly nodded and wiped away her tears with a shaky hand.

"Alright, here goes," uttered Allen under his breath as he stepped down from the carriage.He carefully took Hitomi's hand and tugged her out."Van, may I present to you my newest acquisition, H…"Just then, Allen remembered that he couldn't reveal Hitomi's true identity.Her name was too well known across Gaea and exposing her to Kimera and this Van could make her a target for evil."Haruka.I found her in one of the smaller villages around Palas.Lovely don't you think, Van?"Allen bent down and kissed Hitomi on her cheek just like he had when he concealed her identity from Dilandau.There was no reaction from Hitomi.

"Yes.Yes she is," answered Van.Something about this girl intrigued him but he couldn't put his finger on it.She seemed familiar yet mysterious.Van was about to reach out and kiss Hitomi's hand when he was snapped out of his reverie.

"How rude of us, darling?Allen and Haruka must be tired from their long trip.We should show them to their room so that they may rest before dinner," interrupted Kimera as she tightened her embrace around Van.

"Why yes of course.Where are my manners?Shall we?"Van motioned everyone up the stairs as he and Kimera walked hand in hand back into the palace.

During all this time of introductions, Hitomi hung her head down and stared at the ground.It was the only thing she could do to prevent herself from crying and trying to scratch the lovers' eyes out.How could Allen be so sure of Van's feelings?It was obvious from what she's seen and heard that Van has fallen in love with this Kimera.Why couldn't Allen just let her leave?At that thought, Hitomi felt Allen's hand on her lower back as he nudged her forward to follow Van and Kimera.She complied but then blacked out.This entire ordeal had pushed her to the edge and the sight of the lovers' hands together shoved her over.

"Hi…Haruka!" yelled Allen as Hitomi collapsed.Both Van and Allen lunged to catch her but Hitomi landed safely into Allen's arms.

"Oh my!Is she alright?" asked Kimera, her voice emotionless.

"She's had a very long day," replied Allen.

"You two must be very tired.Please feel free to rest before dinner," Van stated looking very confused.Why did he feel so strange around Haruka?What was it that made him dive down to catch her before she fell?He needed some time to think.

"Actually, I'd like to do a little sparring.I want to stretch a bit after that long flight and carriage ride.What do you say, Van?Are you up for a challenge?"

A smile crept across Van's face."Definitely, that is, if it's alright with Kimera?"Van turned to look at "the love of his life."

"Of course it is, darling.It's not like you're my slave," Kimera answered with a deceitful grin."It will give me time to prepare for tonight's feast."With that, Kimera kissed Van on the cheek and went her way.

"Good, then everything is settled.I'll just take Haruka up to the room so that she can rest and I'll meet you in the Fight Room."

"It's been a while since we've had a little spar, hasn't it Allen?I think you'll be surprised at what I've learned," said Van as he walked away to get changed.

"I'm sure I will." 

Sparring was the perfect way for Van to have some time to think.During all of his training sessions ever since he was the age of five, not to mention all of Allen's guidance as well, had made swordplay second nature to Van.All of the moves come naturally to him making it possible for him to think about other things and clear his mind of worries.Allen knew this of Van.He hoped that during this session with Van could help him figure out what in all of Gaea was going on and devise a plan to fix it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile deep inside the Fanelian forest…

A rat scurried past a pair of brown sandals and headed straight for a plate of food lying on the ground of a rickety old shack.It sniffed the small morsel of bread that lay on it and then stepped towards the piece of cheese next to it and began nibbling.

"Hey!Back off!That's mine!!" shouted an angry feline voice.The sound of moving chains could be heard and then suddenly pair of sharp claws was hurdling towards the rat.

"Uh uh ah," came a sweet melodic voice."What did I say about attacking the weak and innocent?I think it's time someone was taught a lesson."The sound of whip could be heard followed by the appearance of a pair of evil blue eyes and a cackling laugh.

"LORD VAN!!!!!!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dun dun dun!!!!Who's getting tortured?Who's the torturer?Will Allen be able to find out what's going on and put a stop to it?Find out in Chapter 9, I think…well actually I hope.

So, what did you think of this chapter?Are all of you happy that Van and Hitomi have seen each other up close now?Does anyone else want Kimera to die a horrible, horrible death with lots of pain other than me?I'll stop with the questions now.I hope all of you readers liked this chapter.It took me a while to get it out because of a lot of things and it would take up too much room if I explained everything, not to mention the fact that fanfiction.net has been down.Hopefully I'll be able to write the rest faster and have another chapter out by the second half of the week.NEhoo, I'm really sleepy so I'm gonna go night night.TTFN, Emily :p 


	9. Discoveries

Traditions

Traditions

**Chapter 9:Discoveries **

Allen carefully lifted Hitomi up into his arms and carried her into Fanelia's castle.At first glance, everything seemed to be exactly the same as when he left one month ago but as soon as he set foot inside, Allen could sense something was different.An eerie presence was hanging over the castle making the once comfortable home feel cold and empty, a feeling that Allen had once before but couldn't exactly place it at the moment.Nonetheless, this creepy sensation proved that something strange was brewing and he was going to put a stop to it.

When Allen reached Hitomi's designated room, he realized that it was Merle's._'Why would Hitomi be getting Merle's room?Where is Merle anyway?It's not like her to not be around Van or the castle.'Allen was puzzled.Just then, a servant came out from the bedroom and curtsied._

"Commander Schezar.It's very nice to see you again.I have just finished cleaning Lady Haruka's room.I hope it is to her liking," spoke the young girl very politely.She was a slender girl with her blonde hair tied halfway up revealing her round face.

"I'm sure it will be.Um, Megumi.May I have a word with you?"

"Of course, Commander," replied the servant girl, her hazel eyes staring at the floor.

"Where's Lady Merle?" asked Allen quite bluntly.

A confused look covered the girl's face."Who's Lady Merle?"

"Oh, how silly of me?Merle's in Asturia.It's been a long trip.I don't seem to know where I am anymore," chuckled Allen as he covered up his suspicions."That is all, Megumi.You may go now."The girl smiled and continued her way down the hall._'I hope she didn't clue in to that.'_

Once Allen entered the room, he placed Hitomi gently on the four-poster bed so that she could sleep comfortably and so that he didn't have to carry her anymore.Hitomi had grown quite a bit since he first met her and he wasn't exactly young anymore.He must've been carrying her for about fifteen minutes now and his arms were sore.He looked at the sleeping Hitomi and brushed some of her hair away from her face.She looked so peaceful as she slept but he knew that once she was awake she would be the complete opposite._'What's going on here?There's no way that Van would ever love anyone other than Hitomi.And where did Merle go?She would never have let Van be with anyone other than Hitomi.Her absence and the arrival of Kimera is linked somehow and I'm going to find out.'_

"Don't worry about a thing, Hitomi.I'll make sure everything works out the way they should," Allen whispered into Hitomi's ear before he kissed her lightly on her forehead.

"Mmm…Van," mumbled Hitomi as she stirred in her sleep.Allen smiled as he left the room for his sparring session with Van.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"What took you so long?" asked Van as Allen walked into the Fighting Room."Didn't want to leave your lover?"And with that, Van lunged at Allen attempting to catch him off guard.It didn't work.

"Nice try, Fanel.But you're going to have to be much quicker than that to beat a Knight of Caeli," asserted Allen as he dodged Van's attack with his lightening quick reflexes and returned the gesture with an equally aggressive backhand.

"Oh, really!!" shouted Van as he charged head on at Allen at full speed.Allen was amazed at the action.True, over the years that Van had improved greatly as a swordsman, but even after all that he's been through he had never been able to charge aggressively enough.But now, his technique was different.It was hostile and sloppy.Nothing that he or Balgus would've taught him.

"You're charging too aggressively," stated Allen as he calmly stepped out of Van's way, expecting him to run into the column.But to his surprise, Van stopped abruptly, just centimetres (heh heh, I'm Canadian) from the wooden beam, and gave a quick backhand that made contact with something.

Allen looked down to see a small strand of blonde hair drift back and forth as it made its way to the floor.

"Sorry, Allen Schezar," said Van very sarcastically as he turned to face his opponent.This enraged Allen.Absolutely no one, except for Eries and Celena, ever touched his beautiful golden locks and now this "boy" has just maimed one of them.However, Allen remained calm.He was a well disciplined Knight of Caeli and he wasn't going to let something like this lead him off in a tangent to his mission, which was to find out what in all of Gaea had happened to Fanelia and put things right.

"No worries, Van," replied Allen as he began attacking the dark haired king.Van had been waiting anxiously and was prepared for the strike.Back and forth they went.Steel striking steel each time sending sparks throughout the room.After what seemed like an hour of sparring but in reality only 5 minutes, Allen decided that Van should be tired enough to let his guard down a bit for interrogation.

"So Van," began Allen in between strikes, "tell me what's happened while I've been away."

"Nothing much," grunted Van as he blocked a particularly hard attack from Allen with the tip of his sword making it vibrate and difficult to maintain control."Just your usual kingly duties.Actually, I got into a bit of trouble with M…"Van suddenly cut himself off.For a brief second, Allen thought he could see the old Van in his eyes and stopped his sword in mid air.Van grabbed his head and collapsed to the floor as if he were in agony.

"Are you alright, Van?" asked a concerned Allen as he knelt down to see how his friend was doing.

"I'm fine!" answered Van sternly, his eyes returning to stone."You just gave up the perfect opportunity, Allen Schezar!!!" 

Unexpectedly, Van got up and attacked Allen from above.Seeing that the new Van had returned, Allen moved back just narrowly missing getting his head cut in half._'OK, I guess his guard isn't completely down just yet but I know he was just about to say Merle when he stopped.Something seems to be blocking his mind causing him to be so blood thirsty and full of rage.'Allen's thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly realized that Van had him close to the wall, something that the old Van was never able to do.In fact, no one has ever been able to corner him except for…No, it couldn't be.Allen looked into Van's eyes and saw nothing but madness, so very familiar to him.Just as Van was about to do an overhead strike, Allen tackled Van to the ground.A mistake on Allen's behalf because it served nothing but fuel the fire that was in Van's eyes.Pushing Allen off of himself, Van got up and attacked his friend with all his might.This was no longer a friendly sparring session for Van.It was an all out fight._

Allen could sense the change and put his guard up.Van's blows were getting stronger but it was nothing that Allen couldn't handle._'His technique.The aggressiveness.The raging fire in his eyes.The strange sensation when he entered the castle.All so familiar but it can't be.It can't be Zaibach and Dilandau.Dilandau has long since turned back to Celena and everything Zaibach has been destroyed.But the resemblance is unmistakeable.Could Kimera be from Zaibach?'_

"AHHHH!!!!!" cried Van as he suddenly dropped his sword and fell to the floor clutching his head again.

Allen quickly sheathed his sword and knelt down beside Van.He held the king by the shoulders and asked, "Are you alright, Van?It's me Allen.You can tell me anything."Van didn't reply.All he did was start shaking his head furiously like he was trying to shake something out.Allen decided to take this moment of weakness to try and pry some answers out of Van."Van, tell me what happened while I was away.Who is this Kimera?Where did she come from?"At the sound of Kimera's name, Van responded with more cries of agony.Finally, after a few minutes of silence, Van stopped shaking his head and just knelt there with his head in his hands.Allen tried again, "Are you OK, Van?"

"He'll be alright," said a strange voice at the doorway.Allen turned to see Kimera standing there with her left hand on the doorframe."It's just the stress of so many events all happening at once, isn't it darling?" By this time, she had already walked to where Van and Allen were kneeling.The mere presence of this woman had calmed Van down making Allen even more suspicious of her origins and actions.

"That's right, my love.Everything will be OK now that you've returned."Van stood up and kissed Kimera.Allen was disgusted at this sight."Great session, Allen," spoke Van in between kisses (A/N:EWWW!!!I'll make up for this later in the V/H fluff chapters, promise! J ), "That will be all for today.You should rest before dinner."And with that, Van wrapped his arms around Kimera's waist and kissed her passionately. (A/N:EWWW!!Why did I do that?Well, like I said before, I'll make up for it with the fluff later on.And, I have lots of really fun ideas for V/H, right Marilyn? ;p)

"Of course," sighed Allen as he tried to cover up his disgust.He left the couple doing as they pleased and headed towards Hitomi's room to tell her about his discoveries.There was no doubt about it that Kimera was behind Fanelia's brainwashing now that he's seen the affect of her presence on Van.All that was left was for him and Hitomi was to stop whatever evil plans she had in store before anyone gets hurt.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile in Hitomi's room…

Hitomi stirred under the covers as she continued to dream in her sleep.She found herself in the dream that she had while on her way to Asturia again.The sun was slowly setting in the horizon and Van was playing hard to get in the field where she first arrived in Gaea.She took a deep breath, taking in the sweet country air, and she was off chasing Van.

"I won't let you get away that easily, Van Fanel,"Hitomi yelled at the running king as she picked up speed to close the gap between them.He turned and gave her a devilishly sly grin.Hitomi smiled back while her cheeks turned rosy.Suddenly, Van stopped and took off his shirt shocking Hitomi that she skidded to a halt and fell on her butt.Van spread his arms wide open and his majestic wings came out of his shoulder blades.Hitomi was awestruck, not because Van had just revealed his wings, but because his wings were pitch black.

"Oh no.Van, your wings are black.That means…that means you're…dying.Van!!!!"Hitomi sprang to her feet and ran towards the Draconian.As she got closer, she noticed that they were no longer in the field but on a cliff."What's going on?Where are we?"She turned around to see that Fanelia's forests now surrounded her.The trees were tall and scary looking, especially now that the sun had completely set.When she turned back to see what Van was doing, she saw nothing but black feathers drifting in the breeze.Slowly she moved towards the edge hoping to see Van flying or at least hanging on to the rocks.

"NO!!!!"It was a nightmare come true.There Van was, falling carelessly into the dark chasm below."Van, use your wings!!!Please fly!!!Don't leave me here alone!!!" Hitomi cried as the tears flooded her eyes and she fell to her knees."Van…"It was no use.Van didn't respond to anything and remained motionless as he fell deeper and deeper into the black nothingness until Hitomi couldn't see him anymore.Hitomi completely broke down now.Her tears streamed down her face as she continued looking into the canyon, all the while Van's black feathers floating around her.A lone feather glided in front of Hitomi's face and she hesitantly grabbed it.Suddenly, Hitomi's surroundings transformed from being at the ledge of the cliff to somewhere in the middle of the woods.

It was dark.Darker than before which frightened Hitomi.Where was she now?She felt so alone and there was an aching in her heart that felt like a thousand daggers tearing at it.

"Oh, Van…" whispered Hitomi in between her sobs.She clutched at the spot where her pendant once hung and was startled to feel it there._'How did I get this back?I gave it to Van before I left,'_ thought Hitomi as she held the pink jewel in the palm of her hand.At the thought of Van, one of Hitomi's tears fell on the pendant making it glow brightly lighting up the forest in front of her.She held the necklace up in hopes of finding a way out but instead, she found herself kneeling in front of a small wooden shack.A faint whimpering could be heard coming from the inside so Hitomi crept forward a bit towards a tiny crack between the boards to see what it was coming from.

"Merle…"

"Hitomi!!Hitomi!!Wake up!!It's just a dream!!" exclaimed Allen as he shook Hitomi awake.He had returned from his sparring session with Van to find Hitomi having a horrible nightmare tossing and turning.Hitomi finally realized that everything she had just seen was dream.

"Allen."

"Are you alright, Hitomi?" asked Allen in a very concerned voice.If Hitomi had just had a vision, then it might help them stop Kimera.

"Just a bad dream," Hitomi replied as she blinked herself awake and smiled at Allen to cover the worry in her heart._'Merle was being held captive somewhere in the forest and Van is dying.Is this really happening or am I losing it?Was that dream trying to tell me something?'_

"Was it a vision?"

The thought had occurred to Hitomi, but she didn't want Allen to worry anymore than he already was."No, just a dream about…"Hitomi trailed off from her sentence as a vision of Van and Kimera entered her mind.Allen must have sensed it as he sat down and put his arm around her for comfort.

"Don't worry about that, Hitomi?I know that Kimera is behind all of this and I will do anything to stop her."

"How do you know that Van hasn't really fallen in love with her and…"

Allen cut Hitomi off before she could finish rambling."Hitomi, listen to me."He turned to face her directly and looked into her eyes.They were still a brilliant green but now they were also filled with sadness and hurt."During my sparring session with Van, I found out a lot of things."

"Like what?"

"Well, if you let me finish, I'll tell you," teased Allen as he started pacing back and forth.

Hitomi gave Allen a tiny smile, which he returned."Sorry."

"Van's technique was completely different.It was aggressive and sloppy, much like that of Dilandau and the Dragon Slayers."Hitomi shuddered at the sound of Dilandau's name but remained silent so that Allen could continue."But that's not the only thing that resembles Zaibach here.When I entered the castle I felt a chill go up my spine just like I did when Dornkirk captured us in the Mystic Valley.It didn't click until just now when Van called me Allen Schezar that I realized Zaibach was behind all of this.Van never calls me Allen Schezar.He only calls me Allen or Schezar.Never my full name.Only Dilandau did that."

"But…"Allen gave Hitomi a look and she was silent again.

"I know what you're going to say.Everything Zaibach has been destroyed.I thought of that too, but there's no mistaking the similarities.Then there's Kimera."Hitomi could feel her tears building up again but she held them back as best she could."During our fight, Van collapsed clutching his head as if he was in complete agony."

Hitomi couldn't maintain her silence any longer."Is he alright?!" she blurted out as the tears came running down her face.Allen sat down again and hugged Hitomi as she continued crying on his shoulder.

"He's fine.He was fine as soon as Kimera came into the room, which is why I'm pretty sure she was the one causing the pain."

Allen carried on telling Hitomi what he had discovered during the so-called sparring session that turned into a real fight as she cried in his arms.Hitomi paused when Allen told her about how Van was about to say Merle's name but then began bawling again when she heard about how Van had cut Allen's hair.What happened to the kind and gentle Van that they all knew?

"I'm sure that Van's mind is being controlled somehow and that the Van we all love and care about is in there.We just need to find the source and destroy it before he gets hurt.I don't have a plan yet as to how to find out exactly what Kimera is doing but I will need your help.I know that it's difficult for you to be in the same room as Van but it's the only way.Hitomi, will you help me?"

Hitomi nodded as she wiped the remaining tears from her face.Thoughts were running wild through Hitomi's mind._'Van's being mind controlled…Kimera is trying to hurt Van…Van's black wings…Van's having headaches…'_Suddenly it occurred to Hitomi that her dream was a vision.The black wings, her dream, and the headaches.Kimera was slowly killing Van with the mind control!_'That means Merle has been kidnapped and being tortured.Oh no…'_

"Hitomi?Did you hear what I just said?"

"I'm sorry, Allen.I was still trying to digest everything that you had just told me.What did you say?" 

"I said that dinner will be in about an hour so you should start getting ready."

"Of course."

"Are you sure you're alright?You seem startled," inquired Allen as he opened the door to leave.

"Yeah, I'm fine," replied Hitomi as Allen closed the door behind him._'I just need to find a way to save Van and Merle…'_


	10. Announcements

Traditions

Yeah, ff.net is back up!!!Now you can all read my story again.I really need your reviews to get me motivated to write faster.I hope you like what's been going on.Hopefully all of you have had a chance to read chapters 8 and 9 too.I put them up while ff.net was down so I'm not sure if anyone got a chance to read it.NEway, I'm getting to the climactic part of my story and then I will finally get to write the fluffy parts.Yeah fluff!!Gotta go get writing.TTFN, Emily

Traditions

**Chapter 10:Announcements **

Hitomi stared at her reflection in the mirror.She looked awful.Her hair was a mess of tangles and her eyes were all red and puffy from crying.The beautiful lavender dress that she was wearing was now dusty and wrinkly.There were streaks on her cheeks from her tears and the mascara that Millerna had helped her put on back in Asturia.She didn't want to go to dinner and face Van and his new lover, especially when she was looking like this.All she really wanted to do was mope and maybe cry a bit more._'No.I can't do that right now,' thought Hitomi as she began brushing her sandy brown hair.__'There will be plenty of time for me to feel sorry for myself after I stop Kimera and save Merle…and…Argh!!!Why won't this tangle come out?!!'Hitomi was having quite the struggle with the knot in her hair and didn't even notice Allen come in._

"Here let me help you with that."

"Allen…I…" started Hitomi as Allen took the brush from her hand.

"I figured as much that you wouldn't be ready yet, so I came to help."

Hitomi smiled and blushed slightly.Allen was such a good friend.He always knew what to say to make Hitomi feel better.She couldn't tell him about her dream/vision.He would try and stop Kimera by himself being the knight that he is and most likely get hurt, something that Hitomi did not want to happen.Allen had finally found happiness with Eries and reuinted with his sister.He had a life full of joy waiting for him unlike her.She had left her life on the Mystic Moon behind thinking that this was where she belonged but she was wrong.It seemed like she didn't belong anywhere, so it didn't really matter if she died.Hitomi had decided; stopping Kimera and protecting Fanelia would be her mission.

"There," said Allen as he put the final touches on Hitomi's hair.Hitomi looked at herself in the mirror and was amazed to see what Allen had done.Not only did he successfully remove the knots from her hair without ripping it out but he had also braided her hair nicely into a bun.

"Do you like it?" Allen asked in his calm, relaxing voice as he spun Hitomi around to face him.

Hitomi smiled."I love it.I've never been able to do something like this before.You must've had a lot of practice," teased Hitomi with a sly grin on her face now.

"Are you implying what I think you're implying, Miss Kanzaki?" inquired Allen playing along with Hitomi.

"Well, I was merely pointing out the fact that you have such luscious blonde hair and Eries also has long beautiful silver hair that you two must know a lot of grooming tips," giggled Hitomi as she tried not to burst out laughing.

"Are you saying that I'm vain?" replied Allen in a sarcastically offended tone of voice.He was glad that Hitomi was in good spirits again…at least for now.When Hitomi sees how intimate Van and Kimera are she will definitely not take it well.

"Of course not," Hitomi replied as she ran out of comebacks.It was obvious that Allen had won this little debate so Hitomi tried to change the subject."Well enough of this already.I still need to decide what to wear."

Allen laughed.This was the Hitomi he knew and was glad to see her back."Well, I'm no expert but I don't think the one that you're wearing right now will be suitable for dinner," he said as he went to his thinking pose, placing his hand underneath his chin."And, not to mention those mascara streaks on your face.Why don't you go and wash your face and put on your make-up and whatever else you women do to get ready while I peruse through the closet to see what you have?"

Hitomi complied and walked to the washroom at the back of the room.She didn't really notice before, but this room seemed very familiar.The way that it was set up, the color scheme, everything just seemed to scream Merle._'Could this be Merle's room?'The thought brought tears to her eyes.__'How could anyone be so power hungry as to control someone else's mind?'More tears came to Hitomi's eyes but she didn't shed them.__'No!No, I won't cry.I have to be strong.I have to be strong so that I can save the people that I love…even if they don't love me back.'Hitomi wiped the tears away from her eyes with the back of her hand and proceeded to get a facecloth to wash her face._

Meanwhile back in the bedroom, Allen was having the time of his life going through all of the clothes Hitomi had brought to Fanelia.Megumi had already hung them all in the closet so he didn't actually have to go through the bags.Dress after dress Allen looked at making comments to himself.

"What was Millerna thinking with all these ruffles?Well, isn't this a seductive little number?Too bad it's not appropriate right now.We'll just have to save it for later (A/N:Heh heh, I can't wait for Hitomi to wear this dress!).Hmm, this looks kind of nice.Revealing but not too revealing.Let's put you in the maybe pile.No.No.No.Brown?Why would anyone make a brown dress?Hey, what's this?"

By this time, Allen had reached the back of the closet and had just spotted an entirely different set of clothes.They were less fancy and a bit smaller.Then he saw it.It was Merle's dress from Millerna's wedding party.The closet was full of Merle's clothes.How could anyone not know or see that this room belonged to someone?Allen scanned the room.It was completely empty of personal belongings.He walked to the dresser and opened the drawers.They were locked.No doubt to hide that this was Merle's room.

"I don't think there are any dresses in there," teased Hitomi as she came around the corner.She looked refreshed and magnificent with a light touch of blush on her cheeks and a bit of lip-gloss.Hitomi wasn't much of a make-up person.She preferred the natural look and had put up quite a fight with Millerna in Asturia earlier that morning.

"Just checking for accessories," replied Allen concealing his true intentions.Hitomi was finally feeling better and he didn't want her to start crying again if he told her his suspicions.

"I don't want to wear something that isn't mine."

"Alright.Well, here's the maybe pile," Allen pointed to the bed."Just between you and me, Millerna has got really weird taste.What's with the puffy sleeves and ruffles?"

Hitomi walked over to the bed where Allen had pointed to as she answered his question, "I like the ruffles and sleeves.They make the dress more elegant and fancy.Anyway, the sleeves aren't that puffy and there aren't that many ruffles.You're exaggerating.I would never agree to wear something that tacky.Allen, there's only one dress here."

"Well, only one of them was suitable for tonight."

"Out of all the dresses in the closet, you could only find one suitable dress.Just one."

"Yes.Now go put it on.It's almost time for dinner."

Hitomi picked up the dress."I guess I can wear this," she said as she scrunched up her face."

"Come on now."

"OK, OK!Sheesh, don't get your panties in a bunch!"Hitomi laughed after realizing what she had just said to the Knight of Caeli.

"What?!" shouted Allen in confusion.

A few minutes later Hitomi stepped out of the washroom in the dress that Allen had chosen.She looked breathtaking.The dress was entirely made of a dark magenta silk that felt smooth and soft to the touch.It was sleeveless with a high collar and had golden trimming along the hemline, which accented a gold oriental pattern embroidered on the bodice that wrapped around Hitomi's body snugly.The dress then hung freely from Hitomi's hips and just barely touched the ground.

"So, how do I look?" asked Hitomi as she twirled around to let Allen see the entire dress.

"You look absolutely marvelous.It would be an honour for me, Allen Schezar, Knight of Caeli, to escort you to dinner, my lady."Hitomi blushed as Allen knelt down on one knee and kissed her hand."Shall we?"Allen stood up and offered Hitomi his left arm.

"We shall," whispered Hitomi shyly as she took Allen's arm."OK, let's get this over with."

As they walked towards the door, Allen warned Hitomi of what she was about to see."Hitomi, I remind you to brace yourself for something extremely nauseating."

"I know.I've already prepared myself for the worst things I can ever think of."Hitomi smiled at Allen to show him that she was ready.Allen returned her smile and they began their stroll to the Banquet Hall.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Inside the Banquet Hall, everyone was already seated and was waiting for Allen and Hitomi arrived.Everyone from the council and their spouses were quietly chatting amongst themselves except for Lord Finnegan.He had fallen ill recently and preferred to have his dinner in his chambers.This was a strange request coming from one of Fanelia's most respected advisors.In all of his years of service, since Van's father was king, Lord Finnigan had never confined himself to his room.He was always up and about making sure that all was running smoothly and that there were no hidden plans to overthrow the king.However, no one really seemed to recognize this as odd behaviour. 

When Allen and Hitomi entered the Banquet Hall, everyone stood up as usual to greet them except for Van and Kimera but this was not visible due to the number of people standing._'OK, Hitomi.This is it.Stay calm.Deep breaths.Avoid eye contact with Van.All will be fine,' she reassured herself as she and Allen proceeded to their seats next to the King.Hitomi abruptly came to a halt.Her stomach twisted and turned in revulsion and disgust at the image in front of her eyes.She had already braced herself for something like this but she never imagined it could be so sickening._

Kimera was wearing a low cut, clingy black dress and sitting on Van's lap feeding him!And, the worst part of all was the fact that Van, who was in his usual attire, was laughing and enjoying himself.Hitomi felt her legs turn to jelly and the tears rush to her eyes.She was on the verge of bawling her eyes out on the floor when Allen took her hand and gave it a firm squeeze.Hitomi looked up to see Allen with a comforting and determined look on his face.He tugged on her hand and led her to the seat next to his; she followed hesitantly and sat down.

"Sorry we didn't wait for you Allen," said Van as he helped Kimera off of his lap and into the chair opposite of Hitomi.

"That's alright, Van.If anything it was our fault for taking so long to get ready," replied Allen as he glanced over to see how Hitomi was holding up.She was staring at her hands that were tightly clenched on her dress.

"That's quite right, Sir Allen Schezar.Van needs his strength so we mustn't keep him waiting now should we?" added Kimera in her annoyingly sweet voice as she fed Van another piece of bread, which he gobbled up quickly to kiss her fingertips.

Hitomi's grip on her dress tightened at the sound of this revolting public display of affection.She didn't need to see what was going on to know that it would make her retch.If it weren't for the bunch of silk in her hands she surely would have dug her nails into her palms.

"Alright, everyone," announced Van as he got the attention of all the dinner guests by tapping his spoon on his wineglass."Now that everyone is here, we may start the feast."

Dinner went by quickly and Hitomi had successfully managed to avoid eye contact with everyone except Allen, who kept staring at her until she looked back.He wanted to make sure that she was going to be able to get through the evening without a crying outburst.All throughout dinner, the furthest the Hitomi's eyes ever drifted towards was to the top edge of her plate that she kept quite empty.Her stomach was still churning and she didn't want to aggravate it anymore with food.

When dessert arrived, an array of delectable sweets and pastries were placed in front of the dinner guests.There were chocolate petit fours, cream puffs, a nummy looking mocha coffeecake, and a huge assortment of cookies and pudding.In addition to the recognizable sweets, there were a variety of Fanelian pastries and fruits.Everything looked so delicious, but Hitomi wasn't exactly in the mood for anything sweet.She had had her fill of sweetness today after witnessing the displays of affection between Van and that witch.Looking at the plate of fruits, Hitomi recognized one.It was a piscus; a very bitter and sour fruit which she remembered Van giving her to try to cheer her up during her first stay on Gaea._'How ironic to see you here when I'm feeling miserable?What the hell?!At least your taste will take my mind off of things for a while,' she thought as she reached for the piece of yellow fruit.Just as she was about to touch the piscus, another hand grabbed hers._

Hitomi pulled back at the touch of this person's hand, which sent an electric shock through her body.She looked up to see that it was Van and instantly turned bright red.

"I…I'm…I'm sorry," was all that Hitomi could manage to stutter as she found herself lost in Van's chocolate brown eyes.They seemed so familiar yet so distant.

Van hesitated to pull his hand away from Hitomi's.There was something about this girl that intrigued him."That's alright.You go on ahead and have the piscus.I don't know any other people other than myself that eat it, but I will gladly share it with you, Haruka."With that, Van picked up the piece of piscus and gave it to Hitomi.She accepted it and smiled at him, never once breaking her gaze into his eyes.

From across the table, Kimera watched the interaction between Van and Hitomi.Her eyes narrowed into two tiny slits when Van smiled back at Hitomi.There was something suspicious about this girl that bothered her and she needed to get rid of her before she interfered with everything. 

"You know," Kimera started, "ladies don't eat piscus.It's more of a man's fruit," interjected Kimera in a really bitchy tone of voice.Hitomi looked at her with anger in her eyes.

"Well, I admire the girl that can eat a piscus.It shows a strong will and a brave heart," Van replied to Kimera's comment as he took a bite of piscus and turned his attention to Hitomi.

Hitomi looked back to Van and began eating her own piece of piscus.It felt nice to have Van defend her again._'Ha ha.Take that bitch!!!' laughed Hitomi on the inside._

After Van had finished his piscus, he took Kimera's hand and whispered something in her ear that made her smile from ear to ear.The two of them stood up."OK, everyone.Can I get your attention please?I have an announcement to make before we all head off to our own activities."Everyone in the room became quiet and directed their attention to where Van and Kimera were standing hand in hand."As we all know, a kingdom must have a King, a Queen, and an heir.Well, as King of Fanelia, I am very pleased to announce that I have asked Kimera to be my Queen and the mother of my child (A/N:That made me sick just typing it out let alone actually imagining it.Yuk!!!), and she has said yes."There was a loud cheer coming from Van's audience as he kissed his fianceé.

Hitomi's heart shattered at what she just heard.It was true that her heart was already broken but to hear about the engagement smashed the remaining halves of her heart into a million pieces.Her heart and her head ached, as did her stomach.Allen came to her side to comfort her but she pushed him away.

"I just want to be alone!" yelled Hitomi as she ran out of the Banquet Hall and out into the garden.Allen sighed and watched as Hitomi's figure disappeared out into the night.Van saw all of this and walked over to where Hitomi left Allen standing followed closely by Kimera.

"Is everything alright, Allen?Why did Haruka storm off like that?" asked Van concerned.

"I told her she shouldn't have eaten that piscus," smirked Kimera but was quickly silenced by a look from Van.

"Yes.She's a little touchy about engagements and weddings.You see she was hurt deeply by the man she loved and she still hasn't fully recovered from it yet.Seeing how happy the two of you are together probably just brought back some painful memories," answered Allen hoping that Hitomi would be all right by herself out in the garden.

"Aren't you going to go after her?" inquired Van as he looked out to where Hitomi had ran off to.It was obvious that Van was very concerned about Hitomi but he didn't know why.Why would he care so much about Allen's new conquest?

"I think it would be best to give her some time alone to sort things out," responded Allen as he too directed his attention out to the path into the garden._'Hitomi, please be strong.I know you can get through this.'_

"Well, I'm going to bed," said Kimera interrupting the silence."Van, aren't you going to say good night?" 

"Yeah, I'll be up in a minute," retorted Van in a distracted tone.

Anger flared in Kimera's blue eyes as she stormed out of the Banquet Hall.Who the hell was this girl, Haruka, and why did she have such an effect on Van?She would definitely cause problems therefore she needed to be eliminated._'It wouldn't be strange if a foreigner such as Haruka never returned from her trip into the woods.Or even better yet, a poor defenceless girl might get mauled and ripped to pieces by some beasts out in the woods.Getting rid of this Haruka is easier than I thought.Mwahahahaha!'_A devilish grin crept across Kimera's face as she entered her chambers to prepare for that night's task.


	11. Pasts Revealed

Traditions

Traditions

**Chapter 11:Pasts Revealed**

Hitomi ran down the garden path and into the dark forests of Fanelia.She ran hard and as fast as she could to get away from that horrid display.Branches and thorns tore and scratched at Hitomi's soft ivory flesh drawing blood and leaving red marks on her arms and face all the while tearing the silk of her dress to shreds.Salty tears continued to stream down her face and seeped into her wounds as she headed deeper and deeper into the heart of the woodland in agony.Her feet were numb and tired; shoes long lost in the struggle down the stone steps of the pathway into the trees what seemed like hours ago.None of this, not even the pain of the rocks and rough forest floor against the tender soles of her feet could get that image out of her head...that horrible image of Van and Kimera together.

*** _Flashback ***_

"OK, everyone.Can I get your attention please?I have an announcement to make before we all head off to our own activities," broadcasted Van out loud.Everyone in the room became quiet and directed their attention to where Van and Kimera were standing hand in hand."As we all know, a kingdom must have a King, a Queen, and an heir.Well, as King of Fanelia, I am very pleased to announce that I have asked Kimera to be my Queen and the mother of my child, and she has said yes."There was a loud cheer coming from Van's audience as he kissed his fianceé.

*** _End Flashback ***_

_'Why is this happening to me?!!Why is everything going so terribly wrong?I'm such a fool to ever think that Van still loved me!'_The thoughts of the piscus affair just made the suffering in her heart intensify ten-fold resulting in more tears welling up in her eyes.Hitomi forced herself to keep on going faster in the hopes that she could run away from her thoughts.She stumbled through the thickets, her eyes failing her in the dark and blurred from the tears.Her body was drained of its energy but Hitomi didn't want to stop.Stopping would mean dealing with all the misery and heartache that she was running away from.

Finally, Hitomi broke through the dense woods and found herself in a tiny clearing where she collapsed from the exhaustion.Her body resembled a crumpled mass of silk reflecting what little light that managed to break through the thick canopy above.She lay motionless except for the heaving of her chest as she breathed and sobbed.Every muscle in her slender body ached, her scratches and wounds stung, her head was throbbing with pain, and her breaths were uneven gasps causing her tears to continue flowing from her blurry eyes.Hitomi felt like she was dying and she welcomed it._'Oh, sweet Death.Please take me away from all of this.Take me away from the miserable existence that I have been living today and torture me some other way.'_She chuckled mentally to herself at the idea of being tortured.Any pain she would gladly take over the suffering that she felt now.Slowly, her eyelids began to fall heavy as a calm spread over her._'This is how it ends...'_ She was about to close her eyes for what felt like the last time when she saw something that made her open them wide again.

Out in front of her, there came a pink glow from what seemed like a crack in some kind of wall.It was too hard to tell due to the lack of light and the tears in Hitomi's eyes.The light that permeated out towards Hitomi felt familiar; warm and inviting.A tingling sensation went through her body making her want to get closer to the warmth coming from the shimmering sliver.Hitomi's eyes grew wider as the radiance also grew brighter.She could now feel the energy returning to her aching muscles and bones.The pain in her head had come to a stop allowing her to regain her senses and think clearly.Gradually, Hitomi managed to sit herself up to get a better look at the source of this amazing, revitalizing illumination.

By now, the faint glow from before had now turned into a bright beam connecting Hitomi and its source.Hitomi squinted and brought her hand up to block the sudden change from pitch black to blinding white.When her eyes finally adjusted, she was stunned to see the outline of a small wooden shack in front of her.Hitomi suddenly had a case of déja vu._'Where have I seen this place before?It seems so familiar.Think, Hitomi.C'mon.'_It suddenly dawned on her.This was the shack from her dream/vision.The same vision that showed Hitomi the death of her beloved Van and a left-for-dead battered Merle.Fear swept through Hitomi's entire being.'_If the part about the shack was coming true, then the part about Van...No!!I won't let that happen.I have never let a bad vision come true and I won't let this time be an exception.'_Hitomi closed her eyes and shook her head to rid herself of the insecurities that plagued her.She was determined to protect her loved ones and nothing was going to stop her from doing so.

When she opened her eyes, the blinding white light was gone and all that was left was a shimmering pink trail that started from where Hitomi knelt out to where the outline of the wooden had been.Hitomi looked around her to see that everything else was still hidden in the darkness of the forest.

"I guess this is a sign," she whispered quietly as she pulled herself up onto her feet.Her legs were a bit wobbly so it took a bit of time for her to regain her balance.Meanwhile, she looked at the state of her beautiful silk dress.It was tattered and torn all along the bottom; in some places, there were tears all the way up to the waist.The once magenta silk was now crusty with tree sap and dried blood.Hitomi looked at her arms and saw the many scrapes and cuts that the forest had given her.She winced as she pulled a twig out of a deep gash in her upper right arm.Strands of honey brown hair fell to her eyes as she bent down to look at her feet, which were also badly cut.Reaching her hand up to her hair, she no longer found the bun that Allen had braided.Instead there was now one huge knot with twigs, leaves, and pins sticking out at various angles._'I must be quite a sight right now,'_ chucked Hitomi to herself when her ears suddenly caught a faint whimpering.

"Merle..."

Slowly, with gentle steps, Hitomi followed the path laid before her towards the source of the whimpering.Each step she took, the harder she bit her lower lip to ease the pain coming from her raw feet.There were several insignificant shallow cuts along the soles of her feet; obviously the result of running through the rocky forest floor, but the reason for so much agony was the fact that they all lied on pressure points.Every time Hitomi shifted her weight, a different wound would send searing pain through her foot.She wanted to stop so much but the thought of a beaten Merle kept her going._'I have to do this for Merle.She'd do the same for me wouldn't she?Then again, this is Merle we're talking about.'_Again, Hitomi tried to ease her pain with a bit of humour.It must have worked because she now stood at the door of Merle's prison.

Cautiously, Hitomi reached for the doorknob and carefully turned it._'Please don't let it be locked!!!That's all I need right now.'_To her relief, it was open.Every so lightly, Hitomi pushed the heavy wooden door open and peered inside, hoping that Merle's captors weren't there.They weren't.Inside the wooden prison, there were two stools on the left and a small table to the right.That was all that Hitomi could see from the remaining pink light of the path, which as soon as Hitomi reached the shack, had disappeared.Taking a deep breath, Hitomi entered the wooden confinement but accidentally kicked the table.

"Shit!" cursed Hitomi when all of a sudden she heard a rustling of chains charge at her.She jumped aside just to hear a strangled feline cry followed by a loud thump as a mass fell to a heap at Hitomi's feet.

Kneeling down, Hitomi gently placed her hand on the huddled heap on the floor.It made a swipe at Hitomi's hand with its ferocious claw but unexpectedly stopped in mid-air.

"H...Hit...Hitomi?" asked a weak feline voice.

"Merle."

"Hitomi!!!" cried Merle as she leapt into Hitomi's arms sobbing, hiding her face in Hitomi's lap.Hitomi too had tears in her eyes but she didn't let them fall.She needed to be strong for the both of them.All she could do was wrap her arms around the crying cat-girl.Merle winced at Hitomi's touch causing her to loosen her grip.Hitomi had forgotten what had happened to Merle.There was no light to be sure, but from what she saw in the vision, Hitomi knew that Merle had been beaten and whipped maliciously.

"I'm so sorry, Merle," whispered Hitomi into Merle's ear.Merle pulled back from Hitomi so that she could look up at her.

"I just knew you would come, Hitomi.I knew that you wouldn't just abandon us," Merle uttered in between sobs, her sky blue eyes full of tears and hope."I knew that if I just continued to wish with your pendant you would come save us."

"My pendant?" whispered Hitomi as a lone tear fell from her eye.Suddenly, her lap was filled with the familiar pink light of her pendant.Merle took the pendant off from around her neck and handed it to Hitomi.

Hitomi reached out her hand to touch the pink gem in Merle's hand.She had barely touched the smoothness of jewel when her eyes glazed over.

"Hitomi!!!!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hitomi's vision...

Hitomi is surrounded by darkness.She turns around over and over again but there is nothing around her.It's like she's in a void.

"Where am I?Is this a vision?"

Suddenly, Hitomi finds herself in a room where two children are playing.

"Come on, Dilandau-sama.You know you want to play with me," teased a little girl with red hair and blue eyes as she tugged on the shoulder of a little boy sitting on the floor.

"Go away!!!I hate you!!Can't you leave me alone?" shouted a very angry chibi-Dilandau as he continued to play with a magnifying glass melting the head of a toy soldier to mush."Die, die, die!!!!!Ha ha ha!"

The little red head then ran up to Dilandau and took his magnifying glass away.He stood up and grabbed her by the collar of her little pink flower dress.

"Don't you ever do that, you hear Kimera!!!Go find someone else to annoy!!"

"Kimera?" asked a startled Hitomi."Dilandau and Kimera know each other.Allen was right.Zaibach is behind all of this, but how?Everything Zaibach was destroyed."

Just then, the room changes and Hitomi is now standing what seems like a council room.At the end of a long table sat a bald man wearing a black cape.Next to him sat an older version of the red head Hitomi had seen just a minute ago only now she was wearing a black body suit.A door slams shut behind and she turns around to see Dilandau in his usual black, blue, and red armour.

"What the hell do you mean that I'm supposed to marry this bitch?!!!" shouted the always angry Dilandau that Hitomi knew so well.

"Lord Dilandau," replied the bald man calmly, "you know perfectly well that the ruler of Zaibach and all of Gaea must have a wife and who better to be your wife than Kimera.You two have known each other since you were young.She is also a skilled sorceress and fighter, the perfect combination for an empress."The bald man held Kimera's hand and smiled sweetly to her, which she also returned.

"She's a powerful sorceress?No wonder everyone is Fanelia is acting weird.She must've put a spell on them," Hitomi realized.

"She's a psychopath!!!Did you not see what she did to Carter?" yelled an even angrier Dilandau.

"Yes.She kissed him."

"Yeah, and it killed him!!!You expect me to marry someone who can kill me with her kiss!!And people call me the psycho!!!"

"It wasn't the kiss," whined Kimera, "it was the Saoid spell that Kasumi taught me.Anyway, I would never kill my Dilandau-sama.I love him too much.I would never let anyone hurt him.I'd rather die than let anyone hurt him."She continued as she got up and walked toward the raging dragon slayer.

"Kasumi, I'm not going to marry this wacko!!I'd rather let Van Fanel kill me!!"

Again the room swirled and changed into a new environment, this time outside.Hitomi surveyed her new surroundings and recognized them right away as being the ruins of the Zaibach Empire.Looking up, Hitomi saw herself six years ago in the arms of Van as they flew towards Fanelia.Hitomi sighed as she thought back to those happy times with Van but her reverie was interrupted by the sound of Kimera's high-pitched voice screaming.

"Kasumi!!!Wake up.Don't leave me alone!!" Kimera cried as she held the limp, languid body of the bald man.His eyes were open and glazed over; a look of utter fear etched in his face.The black cape that Kasumi wore in the previous vision was slowly turning blood red as it absorbed the fluid flowing from the huge gash in his chest.Hitomi shuttered at the sight.

"Dilandau?!" shouted Kimera after dropping Kasumi's dead body to the rubble on the war torn ground."Where are you Dilandau-sama?!!I know you're not dead because I haven't seen your body yet.Where are you hiding?"The crazed red head continued to wander around kicking the dead bodies around to see if it was her precious Dilandau.

"She survived the war..." whispered Hitomi as she watched the frustrated Kimera fall to the ground consumed with anger.

"DILANDAU-SAMA!!!I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE!!!VAN FANEL WILL DIE BEFORE I'D LET YOU LEAVE ME!!!!"

"...and now she wants revenge for Kasumi and Dilandau!"

Once again, the surroundings shifted and turned into Van's private balcony in Fanelia.Hitomi was shocked to see what happened and to hear Van's thoughts.

*** _Flashback ***_

_'Oh Hitomi, why haven't you come back yet?Do you not care for me anymore?'_ Van thought to himself as he brushed away a strand of black hair from his eyes and looked up at the Mystic Moon, so beautiful just hanging in the night sky._'I've tried to move on but there's nowhere to run.I've got nowhere to hide.I can't forget you when I try.Why can't we be happy like Millerna and Dryden?The days are so empty and the nights are so long.I wake up from dreams only to find that you really did leave.Where are you, Hitomi?It's easy to say that memories fade, but I'm still missing you; nothing's changed.Have you forgotten the promise you made when you returned to the Mystic Moon?'_

"I'm such an idiot!!She never loved me!She only pitied me and my pathetic world!" shouted Van into the night.Just then, he heard his bedroom door creak open.

"L-l-l-lord Van?" whispered a gentle voice."Are you OK?"

"Go away, Merle!!How many times do I have to tell you I want to be ALONE!!?"

Merle, wearing a yellow robe, quietly closed the door behind her and walked over to where Van was standing."Maybe she's still packing and deciding what to bring back to Gaea.You know how Hitomi is.She's so picky.She probably doesn't know whether or not she should bring all her clothes.Do you think she'll bring more of those strange beeping gadgets?" comforted Merle.

"Haven't you realized that she isn't coming back?!She's happy back on the Mystic Moon!!She never wants to return here, to this dump!!" yelled Van shakily at the top of his lungs.He didn't care if the entire castle woke up right now, he was too angry to care."She lied, Merle!!!She doesn't care about me!She doesn't care about any of us here on Gaea!!!!!"

"But, L-"

"I DON'T WANT TO TALK OR THINK ABOUT HER ANYMORE!!!!!!!"Tears welled up in Van's eyes as he pulled off the gold chain from which the pendant hung."I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH HER AT ALL!!!!!"With that, he threw Hitomi's necklace out into the vast darkness of the woods and fell to his knees sobbing like a child.

*** _End Flashback ***_

"Oh, Van!" cried Hitomi as she fell to her knees."I'm so sorry I didn't stay in touch with you.I do love you.Oh, Van."Hitomi began to sob at what she had just seen.It was all her fault that he was so hurt; the pain and heartache that she was feeling now he had felt just the same.If only she had just shown him, told him that she loved him.And now she's lost him forever.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

At the same time in Fanelia...

Van tossed and turned in his king sized bed as he tried to sleep.It was hopeless.His mind was constantly filled with visions of Haruka and the heartache that she felt.Why did he feel so connected to her?It's almost as if he knew her from a past life or something.

"This is pointless.I've never met this girl in my life.How could I possibly be connected to her?" sighed Van as he stared up at the blue canopy of his four-poster bed.

A warm breeze blew in from the balcony as Van sat up in his bed tossing away his covers to reveal his well-sculpted torso and silk pyjama pants.The soft wind caressed his back and chest as he got up and put his matching black silk robe over his bare shoulders.Quietly, he walked to the balcony and leaned on the railing.He inhaled a deep breath as another image of Haruka appeared before him.

She was absolutely exquisite.Her shiny honey brown hair and those magnificent jade eyes.The way her smile seemed to make the room light up.He was absolutely intoxicated by her.

Reaching out, he tried to touch her cheek.As soon as he touched her soft velvety skin, an excruciating pain was sent through his entire body concentrating on his head.Van fell to his knees as he clutched his head in both hands.The pain was unbearable.It felt as if a thousand hot daggers were being stabbed into his head.Suddenly, visions and images of Merle, Escaflowne, his mother, and the mystery girl flooded his head.Van shook his head harder as he tried to gain control of the agony surging through his head and into his back.He could no longer take it.The skin on Van's back began to spread as his wings forced their way out.Van arched his back in pain as the ivory extensions of his body came full spread out tossing hundreds of pearly white feathers into the air around the balcony.

"HITOMI!!!!!!!!!!" cried Van as he collapsed unconscious onto the balcony floor.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ta da. There's Chapter 11 and I'm so proud to say that I wrote it all in one night.Quite the accomplishment if I do say so myself.However, because of that this chapter might suck a little since I didn't have the time to go over it in my head until it was perfect.NEhoo, I hope you all liked it.Don't worry, Kimera will die a painful death most likely in Chapter 12 or 13 but until then I must bid you ta ta. Until next time, Emily ~_^


	12. Awakening

Traditions

Traditions

**Chapter 12:Awakening**

Allen awoke with a start at the sound of Van's voice piercing the air.Immediately, he jumped out of bed shoving his sheets aside and ran out the door not even taking the time to put on his robe.Something had happened to the King and he needed to make sure that Van was all right.Running down the hall in his bare feet, Allen noticed that there were no other people hurrying to see what was going on with their King.It was late into the night or early into the morning, depending on your own perception, but why wouldn't any of the servants or guards come to Van's aide when he was heard screaming?What was going on?

Entering Van's bedchamber, Allen was met with a cold breeze that sent a chill along his spine and goose bumps all over his body underneath his blue pyjamas.He looked around and saw no sign of Van.His bed was just a mess of blue silk and the study was empty.Suddenly, Allen spotted a feather float in from the balcony out of the corner of his cerulean blue eyes.Pulling the heavy burgundy velvet curtains to the side, Allen saw the body of an unconscious Van lying on the floor with his wings revealed.

Allen knelt down beside the sleeping king and touched his wings, which immediately drew themselves back into Van's back and all of the feathers disappeared into thin air.The startled Asturian knight then examined Van's body to see if he had been injured but found no trace of a struggle or fight.

"Guards!!!" shouted Allen as he carefully lifted Van back into the room.Instantly, Harlock came running in with his clothes on in total disarray, obviously from putting them on in a hurry.

"What happened to his Majesty?" asked the guard as soon as he saw Van's body draped over Allen's right shoulder.

"I don't know.Just go get the healer," Allen answered as he placed Van's cold and limp body back into his bed.

"Yes sir!" replied Harlock as he turned on his heel and left the room in a sprint.

Van shivered in his slumber as Allen towered over him._'What happened in here?'_ thought Allen as he pulled the covers over Van's body.

"Hitomi…" mumbled Van as he pulled the sheets closer to his icy cold body.

_'Hitomi?!Does he remember her now?Did something happen to jog his memory?Or worse, did something happen to Hitomi?'_A worried look spread over Allen's face as the healer came in with Harlock close at his heels.

"Commander Schezar, did something happen to King Van?Is something a matter?You look pale," commented Makusu, the healer.He was a tall man and just as broad as Allen.Makusu had short dark brown hair and the most amazing hazel eyes.Formerly a soldier in the Fanelian army, Makusu was well known and respected as a great fighter but during the Destiny War he learned to become a healer and had given up fighting.He was now one of Van's personal physicians.Makusu was quite attractive and the few women in Fanelia were often found at his office for the slightest of ailments.In fact, Allen once caught Merle seeking his help for a paper cut.However, he never let it get to his head and was very professional.Actually, Makusu is the main reason that Allen did not allow Celena to move to Fanelia.To Allen, Makusu was just a little too charming; too much like himself when he was younger.

"Makusu, thank you for coming in such a hurry.No, there isn't anything wrong with me.I'm just worried about something.Van doesn't seem to be hurt in any way but I just wanted you to check him over just to make sure."

"Of course.I'm sure there isn't anything wrong but I'll just double check anyway," replied the young doctor with a smile.

Allen began to leave the room but not before he made sure that Harlock would stand guard over Van for the rest of the night.Something strange was happening in the castle and at least this way there was someone to help Van if he needed any.As Allen walked towards his room he suddenly remembered that he didn't know whether or not Hitomi had returned to the castle yet.Quickening his pace, Allen made his way to Hitomi's room instead only to find it empty.

_'Damn it!!!Where could she be?I shouldn't have let her run away like that but she wanted to be alone.Maybe she fell asleep somewhere.Wherever she is I need to find her as soon as possible.She's in danger.I can feel it," _commanded Allen silently to himself just as he felt a tap on his shoulder.He quickly turned around hoping to see Hitomi there.It wasn't her.

"What is it, Zachery?" Allen asked the messenger boy in a disappointed tone of voice.Zachery was a young boy, not much older than sixteen; hence he was at least a foot shorter than Allen.His hair was dark like espresso and was neatly spiked on top revealing his innocent charcoal eyes.Looking up to stare directly at Allen, Zachery began speaking.

"I bring a message to you from the platform.Your sister, Lady Celena, and the crew from the Crusade have just arrived and are waiting for you to greet them," stated the slender male as he stood at attention.

"Celena's here!!" exclaimed Allen in complete shock.He had completely forgotten that Celena was coming to join him and Hitomi with the whole mess here."Thank you, Zachery."The messenger bowed as was turning to leave when Allen stopped him."Um, Zachery?Have you seen Lady Haruka anywhere tonight?" inquired the Knight as he pointed to Hitomi's room.

"Don't you mean Lady Merle?And, no I haven't seen her.If I remember correctly, she said that she was on a mission and it might take a few days before she returned.That was about a week or so ago," answered Zachery confidently.

"Thank you, Zachery."

"Would you like me to take a message to the platform for your sister?"

"No, I'll go meet them right now."

Zachery bowed to Allen again and walked away leaving Allen dumbfounded._'Suddenly everyone remembers Merle.This isn't good.That must mean that whatever Zaibach has been planning is nearing its end.I've got to warn everyone and get Celena out of here.'_With that last thought, Allen quickly ran to his room to change and immediately headed off to the stables.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hitomi!!!" cried Merle as she shook Hitomi back to reality with what little strength she had left."Are you OK?"

Hitomi was breathing erratically taking deep breaths and little ones as she tried to regain control of her senses."I…I… just saw…" Hitomi started but was suddenly cut off by the sound of evil cackling.

"What exactly did you see, oh mighty Seeress of the Mystic Moon, Haruka…no, it's Hitomi isn't it?" asked Kimera sarcastically as she stepped out from the shadows and towards where Hitomi and Merle were.She was no longer wearing the clingy black dress from dinner but instead she was wearing a black bodysuit accentuating her every curve and high-heeled boots.Her long auburn hair was also slicked back tightly into a bun at the back of her head making her look every bit like an assassin.Not to mention the long machete that hung off her belt at her side.

As fast as lightning, Merle was standing in front of Hitomi legs apart, arms stretched out, and tail puffed to protect her."Stay away from her you evil witch!" growled Merle as she bared her claws ready to attack.

Hitomi hadn't noticed anything that was going on in front of her.She was still in complete shock from what she had just seen in her vision.Her frightened form just sat there clutching the pendant close to her heart.

"Well, well, well.Isn't that cute?The injured kitten trying to protect its friend," mocked Kimera in her annoyingly high-pitched voice.She began to step closer towards the angry feline but Merle didn't flinch a muscle."Out of my way, furball!!!" yelled the Zaibach sorceress as she pushed Merle out of the way.Merle tried to attack, but due to her weakened state her reflexes were slow and she was easily flung against the nearby wall.

"Merle!!" exclaimed Hitomi as she got to her feet and dashed toward her hurt friend.By now, Hitomi had regained her senses and had placed her necklace back on tucking it into the remnants of her dress so Kimera wouldn't see it.She held poor, injured Merle in her arms crying."Merle?Speak to me, please?"

"Hitomi…" whispered Merle in between pained gasps of air; her eyes just tiny slits revealing blue."Don't cry.Van-sama doesn't like it when you cry."

"Oh Merle," uttered Hitomi in between sobs as she pulled Merle's weak body closer to hers.

"Save Van-sama," murmured Merle as unconsciousness claimed her.

"Merle!!!"

"It's about time that cat died," boasted Kimera as she strolled over to stand behind Hitomi leaning against her hand on the table next to her.

"She's not dead!!" shouted an angered Hitomi, her face stained with tears and eyes full of conviction.

"Well, she might as well be with those injuries.It's just a matter of time," answered Kimera in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Van will come.He'll come save Merle and me.I believe in him," Hitomi retorted in a shaky voice.She was lying; she had no idea whether or not Van even remembered her or Merle.It was just a way to try and stall for some time.

"Who?That pathetic excuse for a king?If anything, he's probably dead by now."

"What did you do to Van?!!"Fear ran though Hitomi's entire body at the thought of her beloved being dead.True he was no longer the same Van that she had fallen in love with but she just couldn't bare the thought of him being dead.

"Nothing much.Just a little mind control.Stupid fool.He was so easy to control and manipulate in any way I saw fit.A weak mind really.All of the Fanelians were.I didn't think Van would actually be able to last as long as he had under my control, but the headaches were signs of his brain deteriorating," gloated the witch as she bent her head down to Hitomi's ear."It doesn't really matter anyway, he was a bad kisser," Kimera whispered sending anger through Hitomi.

"You bitch!!!" shouted Hitomi as she tried to hit Kimera with her balled fists.She completely missed considering Kimera was waiting for it.Instead, Kimera was able to grab Hitomi's wrists lifting her up onto her feet and letting Merle's languid body to slump to the dirt floor.

"Uh, uh, uh.Now it isn't nice to name call," Kimera taunted as she summoned some rope and one of the stools over with her telekinetic powers.Hitomi watched in amazement at the powers this girl possessed as her arms and feet were forcefully tied to the stool and her mouth gagged with another piece of rope.She struggled trying to free herself but that only served to cause more pain on the scratches and cuts that Hitomi got from the forest.Hitomi decided that she should just sit still and think of a rational way to get out of her predicament rather than bleed herself to death.

_'Oh my God!!How are we supposed to defeat Kimera if she has such powerful magic?There's no way we could beat her…but there has to be.I can't just give up like this,'_ thought Hitomi hopelessly as Kimera stood up and began pacing around the shack.

"I knew you were trouble as soon as I laid eyes on you.But, I never imagined the great Hitomi Kanzaki would fall so nicely into my lap.I actually never planned on hunting you down but since you managed to, as I said before, fall nicely into my lap I guess I get to dispose of you just as I have disposed of Van Fanel.Van's the only one that Dilandau-sama really hated.He didn't really say much about you.Oh well," lectured the psycho as she continued to walk back and forth across the wooden prison, interrupting Hitomi's thoughts.

"MMPF FFFMPH!!!" protested Hitomi through her gag.

Kimera stopped her pacing and directed her cold cobalt eyes at Hitomi.An amused look was painted over her face as she continued to ramble."I suppose you must be wondering why I arranged to get rid of Fanelia's king.Well, let's just keep the story short because I just can't wait to use the Saiod attack on you," continued Kimera as an evil grin formed on her lips and began pacing again."I needed to kill Van Fanel because you and him took away what I held closest to my heart.You destroyed my Master, my Empire, my destiny, and my Love!!!So, in vengeance, I have now taken away all that Van Fanel holds dear to him.Starting with his dear friend, Merle was it?Followed by his sanity, his kingdom, and now even you.This couldn't have worked out any better than if I planned it."

_'God this chick is nuts!!Wait a minute.Why is she telling me all of this?I already know this from the vision I had when I touched the pendant.Does she not know about the pendant's powers to show me the past and the future?Does she only think that I get visions of the future and that's it?She's not that bright if she does.That's it!The pendant is the way to beat her, but how?She most likely doesn't know of its powers or else she would've taken it away from Merle.Or, maybe she doesn't even know that we have the pendant," _conversed Hitomi mentally to herself, a ray of hope forming with her realizations.

"Now let's see.What exactly should I do to you?The Saiod attack is definitely the way to go but what am I going to do with your dead body.Hmm," pondered the sorceress as she scratched her head looking up at the ceiling.

Hitomi glared at her.If looks could kill, Kimera would've have been long gone.This bitch had hurt her closest friends and she wasn't going to let her get away with it.She just needed time to figure out what to do but time was definitely not in her hands.Hitomi glanced over at the huddled mass that was Merle.A feeling of joy spread through her body as she saw the feline twitch -- a sign that she was still alive.Hopefully Kimera didn't see.Turning her attention back to Kimera, Hitomi was relived to see that the psychopath was still deep in thought._'Dilandau was right.She's psychotic!"_Hitomi almost choked to death at her own thought.She was agreeing with Dilandau.

"Oh, I know what I'll do.Why didn't I think of this sooner?It's so perfect.Enough room to perform the Saiod attack at full strength even and it even provides the ideal resting place for the Mystic Moon wench.Now all I have to do is get ready," said Kimera to herself as she looked around until she saw Hitomi glaring back at her."Can't have you causing trouble while I prepare now can we?This should do it," she commented as she reached her hand out for Hitomi's head.Hitomi tried to inch away but Kimera had sat down on the stool making it impossible for Hitomi to escape her clenches.As soon as Kimera's hand touched Hitomi's forehead everything went black.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Van stirred underneath the warmth of his covers as the visions continued to play in his mind.A look of distress spread across his masculine features of his face as he was forced to relive the painful memories of the last few weeks.He saw himself throwing Hitomi's pendant off the balcony; he saw his desperation when Merle disappeared; he saw the arrival of Kimera and Hitomi; and the most agonizing image of all was watching himself kiss Kimera in front of Hitomi.The look in her emerald eyes was enough to drive pins and needles into his own heart at the horrid display of affection was shown to him.Dream Van closed his eyes tightly in shame and fell to his knees holding his head in his hands.

"Hitomi, I'm so sorry.I'm so sorry!!" whimpered Van when he suddenly realized that he was no longer watching himself in the past.In fact, he was no longer in the castle but somewhere outside, somewhere in the forest.

Dream Van was now sitting on the ground deep in the woods.Looking around to get his bearings, Van recognized that he was near the dragon's graveyard and saw two, no three shadowy figures moving around the large tree above the gorge.He squinted his coffee coloured eyes and realized that one of the shadows was Hitomi and none other than himself was tying her to the tree trunk.Van ran over to the tree to make sure he was seeing correctly.Why in all of Gaea would he be tying his beloved Hitomi up?He stepped closer and it was true.His own hands were tightening the knots on the ropes that were holding a crying Hitomi prisoner.Her tear stained face pleading his zombie self to save her but to no avail.He only pulled the ropes tighter burning Hitomi's already scratched up flesh and tearing away more silk from her ragged dress.Dream Van tried to stop what his other self was doing but his hand just went through the ropes as if he were nothing but an apparition.He was useless to help his angel.

All of a sudden there was a bright flash of light that blinded Van.He took a few steps back and raised his hands trying to block some of the intense whiteness.After blinking several times, Van was able to see again but he wished that wasn't.Kimera was holding Hitomi's limp body above her head, the sparkling jade eyes now dull and lifeless.With a swift toss, Kimera hurled Hitomi's dead body into the chasm below all the while laughing heinously.

"HITOMI!!!!!" cried dream Van as he tried to run out and protect her but he was dragged back by the dark shadow that had swallowed him up in his previous dream."Hitomi…" sobbed Van as he heard the sound of dragon bones spear into Hitomi's soft flesh and everything went black.

"Hitomi!!!!" yelled Van as woke up in a cold sweat gasping for air.Harlock came running in.

"Is everything alright, your Majesty?" questioned the shocked guard as he sprinted towards Van's bed."Are you alright?" asked Harlock with concern on his face as soon as he saw Van's panic stricken look.

"Prepare my horse," answered Van as he jumped out of bed and began to change into his trademark red shirt and khaki pants.

"B…but your Highness."

"Do as you are told!" commanded the King of Fanelia as he buckled his sword around his waist never once looking at the astounded guard.

"Y…yes, Sire," responded the young sentinel as he ran out of the room.

Van ran his hands through his messy raven hair and inhaled deeply to regain his composure._'I will save you Hitomi.I swear my entire life on it.Nothing will ever hurt you again.'_He balled up his fists and closed his eyes.An image of Hitomi appeared before him. 

"I promise," he uttered as he walked out the door and began his duty.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, Allen had just arrived at the platform on horseback and was greeted happily by Celena and the crew of the Crusade.The men were dressed as they usually were but Celena was wearing a very lovely pink dress that came all the way down to the ground.It had very short sleeves, just barely past Celena's shoulders and a square neckline.The skirt of the dress was free flowing but not puffy like Millerna's dresses.It was made entirely of satin and shimmered nicely in the moonlight of the two moons along with her hair which she left down.

"Hello, Brother!!" exclaimed the slim girl as she jumped into Allen's arms giving him a bear hug."Where's Hitomi?"Allen returned the embrace but the grim look on his face didn't change.

"Yo, Boss," greeted Gaddes as he came out from behind Celena."Is something the matter?"

"Unfortunately, yes.Hitomi has gone missing and something odd is going on here, which is why I'm asking you to take Celena and the Crusade back to Asturia," Allen responded in his serious tone of voice usually reserved for only when he was in a council meeting discussing war tactics.

"How can there be something wrong?What do you mean Hitomi's missing?" inquired Celena as she let go of her brother."We just received word of the engagement and Hitomi said that I could be one of her bride's maids."

Allen's look turned from grim to that of sad disappointment."Van isn't getting married to Hitomi.He's marrying someone else."

"What?" shouted Celena and Gaddes in unison.Celena then stumbled at the shock but Gaddes caught her.A tiny blush formed on Celena's cheeks as she felt Gaddes' strong arms embrace her slender body.

"Are you alright, Lady Celena?" questioned Gaddes as he and Allen helped her to her feet."I don't think you've fully recovered from when you passed out earlier."

"You passed out?" asked Allen in his brotherly voice as he looked down at his sister.Celena was grateful that they were in the dark or else everyone would have seen the pinkness that her cheeks were turning at the sound of concern in Gaddes' voice."Celena?"

"Oh.It was just a slight fainting spell, and I thought we agreed not to tell my brother about it," replied a smiling Celena through gritted teeth glaring at Gaddes. "That's enough about me."

"No it isn't, Celena. You must be sick or something so I want you to go back to Asturia and see the healer," instructed Allen.

"I'm perfectly fine and I'm not going anywhere.I'm just exhausted and stressed with planning _your_ wedding, which I think _you_ should be doing.Do you know how frantic Eries is right now?I can't get her to stop pacing back and forth.But that doesn't matter right now," retaliated Celena waving her hand."Whom exactly is Van Fanel marrying if he isn't marrying Hitomi?" she demanded crossing her arms over her chest.

Allen knew that he wasn't going to get anywhere once Celena had her arms crossed so he told her."He's marrying some girl named Kimera."

"Kimera?" repeated Celena as her head began to throb.She began rubbing her temples and suddenly collapsed.Gaddes had decided to let the siblings speak privately but as soon as he saw Celena fall, he was there in a flash to catch her.Even Allen was amazed at the speed at which his right hand man came to the aide of his sister.

"Celena?" Allen whispered as he knelt down to touch her cheek.Gaddes slowly lifted Celena's frail body up into his arms.

"I think she's asleep, Boss.She must've been really tired.I don't she slept at all in the last few day or on the way here."

"Thanks for taking care of her, Gaddes.Could you please make sure that she safely gets to bed when you get to Asturia?"

"Of course, Boss," responded the Sarge as he carried the sleeping girl back into the ship to return to Asturia leaving Allen standing on the platform below.

_'I've got to stop this before anyone gets hurt…and Eries kills me for not helping with the wedding,'_ thought Allen as he got back on his horse to begin his search for Hitomi._'I just hope I'm not too late.'_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Finally I'm done Chapter 12.It took a while to get started but I think it should be an OK chapter.Might be a bit lame at some points but whatever.Chapter 13 is going to be an exciting one since we will finally see the end of Kimera and should be filled chock full of action…as actiony as I can write it that is.Until then, sayonara.


	13. Showdown (a.k.a. Ding Dong the Witch is...

Traditions

Traditions

**Chapter 13:Showdown(a.k.a. Ding Dong the Witch is Dead)**

Celena's dreams were haunted by the name of Kimera.Over and over again that name was whispered in Celena's mind followed by a high-pitched cackle. 

"Where have I heard that name before?I know I've heard it but where.Stop it!!Do you know how annoying that is?" shouted Celena at the voice in the empty void that she was standing in her dream.

"C'mon Dilandau-sama.You know you want to play with me," came the voice and laugh again as the void suddenly turned into a dimly lit room.

"I know this place," said Celena as she spun around on her heel to take in her surroundings."This is Zaibach.But Zaibach is long gone.This must be flashback or something," commented the silver haired girl as she began to walk forward into her vision

After taking her first step, the oil lamps in the room were suddenly lit and she was able to see that she was wearing a dark red bodysuit just like Kimera's black one with her hair tied up in a French braid."Well, well.When exactly did I get this?" Celena asked, as she looked herself over."A little snug but it still feels comfortable."Then she noticed the sword on her right hip.Very carefully, she took hold of the hilt in her right hand and slid the blade out of its sheath letting the light reflect off of the shiny metal.Celena held the sword up to her face and ran her left hand over the smoothness of the weapon.It was light and felt like it was meant just for her to hold.She swung it around expertly like she had been trained with one for years…well, she was but as Dilandau.Celena began to practice with the sword like any swordsman would, performing each pose perfectly.Her movements were fluid as Dilandau's training resurfaced in her mind; sword fighting being second nature.It was like the warrior spirit had reawakened within her.She abruptly stopped mid-pose when she realized that she wasn't alone in the room.

Over in a dark corner, sat chibi-Dilandau playing with some building blocks.Celena gradually walked toward her former self to get a better look at what he was doing.As she got closer, she saw that Dilandau was spelling the word 'FIRE' over and over again with the blocks._'Talk about a one-track mind."_Bending over the small boy, Celena noticed that she did not cast a shadow, which meant she wasn't really in the room with Dilandau._'OK, I was right.I'm in a flashback, but why?Am I supposed to see something that I had forgotten?'_ thought Celena, afraid that her voice would still be heard if she spoke.Almost as if to answer her questions, a tall bald man and a small girl entered the room.

"Dilandau Albatou?" inquired Kasumi as he stepped toward Dilandau.Celena had backed up out of the way so as to not interfere with what was going to happen.Dilandau redirected his attention from the toys to the Zaibach sorcerer looking up at him.

Kasumi smiled and continued, "Dilandau-sama, I'd like you to meet Kimera Kushrinada.She's going to be your wife some day."

All of a sudden the small redheaded girl jumped at the shocked Dilandau giving him an enormous bear hug.He winced at the sound of her screeching laugh into her ears.

"Get off me, you annoying brat!!" yelled Dilandau as the room and its inhabitants unexpectedly disappeared leaving Celena amazed with her hand over her mouth.

"That's it!!I knew I heard the name Kimera before," exclaimed Celena in joy at her realization, but suddenly calmed down."If she's alive, then everyone involved in the Destiny War is in great danger.Oh, no.Allen.Hitomi.Merle.Van.Kimera hated everything and anything that wasn't Kasumi or Dilandau and definitely psychotic enough to seek revenge for their destruction.I've got to stop her."

Celena opened her eyes as saw the wooden ceiling of the Crusade.She pushed the bed covers off and found herself still wearing the red bodysuit._'This is neat!Now all I have to do is find a way to land the Crusade somewhere and find the biggest clearing in the Fanelian woods.Knowing Kimera, she'd need a lot of space for the Saiod thing of hers.I just hope I won't be too late.'_Quietly, she left her room and headed towards the Bridge.

When Celena arrived on the deck, she was surprised to see that Gaddes was the only one there._'Oh, that makes this part easier.Hopefully I'll be able to persuade him to return to Fanelia without a fight.'_

"Gaddes?"

Gaddes turned around to see who was looking for him and his jaw dropped to the floor.He just stared at Celena in her bodysuit."C…Celena?"He shook his head a bit to rid himself of the impure thoughts that had just entered his mind."What are you doing here?You should be resting in your room."

"Gaddes, please take me back to Fanelia.I have something very important that I have to do there but there's no time to explain.Please," pleaded Celena as she stepped closer to the wheel where he was standing.

"I can't.I promised your brother that I would return you safely home back to Asturia," stuttered Gaddes never taking his eyes off of Celena's lithe form, his cheeks turning rosy.He had never seen Celena wear anything so revealing before.She was breathtaking.He had always thought of her like a sister since she was Allen's but now those thoughts were changing.

"Please Gaddes.You don't understand.Allen and the others are in danger and I have to help them.I'm giving you one last chance or else I'll have to use force."

"What kind of force?" asked Gaddes in a sarcastic tone.He found it amusing that this gorgeous girl was going to use force to turn this ship around.

"This," said Celena as she grabbed the wheel from him and tried to turn it completely around so that they would head back in Fanelia's direction.Gaddes was shocked at what Celena was doing and grabbed her arms from behind to stop her.

Taking her chance as Gaddes stumbled off balance from the ship's sudden movement, Celena pushed up on the side of the wheel with her foot to perform a back flip completely catching the Sarge off guard.By now, the other crew members of the Crusade had made their way to the Bridge to see what was going on to cause the abrupt change in its course.There were stunned to see what was going on.

"AN ASSASSIN!!!!" shouted Kio as he charged forward to try and save Gaddes. He skidded to a halt when he realized who was actually holding the Sarge."Lady Celena?"

Celena grabbed her sword and held it up against Gaddes' neck."Drop the sword, Kio.I don't want to hurt any of you.I just need to go back to Fanelia."

Kio smirked at the sight.Defenceless, weak Celena was holding Gaddes hostage with a sword."Do you really think I'm going to disobey your brother's orders?"

Celena tightened her grip on Gaddes."Do as she says, Kio," commanded Gaddes as he stopped struggling against Celena's grip.

"You've got to be kidding, Sarge."

"Do it, Kio!!"

"Yessir!" saluted Kio as he began shouting orders for the rest of the crew to do in order for them to return to Fanelia.

"Thank you," whispered Celena in Gaddes' ear and kissed him lightly on the cheek causing both of them to blush furiously.Gaddes said nothing as Celena loosened her grip a bit but still kept him nonetheless in a headlock for insurance until they landed.He just stared in amazement at his beautiful captor.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Allen got back to the castle, he decided not to tell anyone where he was going for their safety and his.The woods were dangerous enough as it is and he didn't need to be watching over someone as well.After gathering the needed supplies, Allen retraced Hitomi's steps down the stone path through the garden and into the woods._'Going on foot is the best bet, since that's how Hitomi went.'_Sure enough, Allen soon found Hitomi's shoes lying on the ground.He picked them up and placed them into the bag he was carrying._'Well, I don't think she should've gone very far without these…but then again this was Hitomi.'_

Upon reaching the edge of the forest, Allen lit the torch he had brought with him to help him see.Holding his sword in his right hand and the torch in his left, Allen began slashing his way through the dense Fanelian forest following the scraps of silk Hitomi's dress had left behind._'Well, it looks as though she ran a straight line.Shouldn't be too hard to find her…I hope.'_

The gallant swordsman steadily ploughed his way deeper and deeper in to the woods using the different sized scraps of magenta fabric much like a trail of breadcrumbs.Twigs and leaves prodded and poked Allen entangling themselves in his soft blonde hair but he could care less.The life of his dear friends were at stake and he had to do something quick.After what seemed like he had walked for kilometres, Allen found himself in the clearing where the wooden shelter stood.Waving the flame from the torch close to the ground, the Knight of Caeli searched for more silk fragments but found none.Instead he was glad to see footprints leading to the doorway of the shack._'Please Gods, let Hitomi be safe and sound inside that hut,'_ prayed Allen as he prepared to enter the wooden structure.

Cautiously, Allen pushed the door open trying to avoid alerting the inhabitants of his intrusion with any squeaks and what not.He peered around the corner making sure that he wasn't walking directly into a trap.Once Allen was sure that the coast was clear, he stepped into the entrance way and started looking around being careful not to disturb anything.To his dismay, there was no sign of Hitomi anywhere.Not even a trace of magenta silk.The only objects that he could see were a stool and a small table.Allen was about to leave when he noticed a slight movement in the far corner.

It was dark in the area where Allen saw something twitch, not even the light from his torch reached far enough to reveal the source of the movement from where Allen was standing.Being in unfamiliar territory, Allen hesitated going further into the shack but his instincts were telling him to go ahead.Trusting in his gut feeling and worry for Hitomi, he inched closer to the wall holding the hilt of his sword ready for anything that might appear.

"Merle?" gasped the knight as he approached the injured feline.Allen immediately dropped to his knees and cradled Merle in his free arm examining to see if she had any serious injuries."Merle, speak to me."

"Allen?" sighed Merle, her eyes opening to tiny slits."Hitomi…"

"Have you seen Hitomi, Merle?" asked Allen urgently.The frail girl nodded, not having enough strength to speak."Do you know where she is?"

"Kimera…"

"I knew that girl was behind all of this.Do you know where she took Hitomi?" interrogated Allen only to realize that Merle had fallen asleep again.He held her closer to his body and lifted her up._'Oh Merle.I can't leave you alone, but I can't take you with me.You need a healer desperately.But what about Hitomi?Hitomi, I hope you can hold out until I find your,' _decided Allen as he carried Merle back to the castle.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was a quiet trip for the Crusade back to Fanelia.Nobody dared say anything that may cause Celena to hurt the temporary commander.Meanwhile, Gaddes relaxed in Celena's arms almost to the point of falling asleep.Celena also enjoyed having Gaddes in her embrace and was quite disappointed when Kio announced that they had arrived back at the Fanelian dock and headed back downstairs.The crew had now all gone to bed leaving Gaddes and Celena alone on the Bridge.

"So what exactly do you have to do in Fanelia that's so important?" questioned Gaddes as Celena finally let him go out of curiosity.

"It doesn't concern you," replied the silver haired warrior as she placed her sword back in its scabbard.

Gaddes grabbed Celena's arm as she started walking away."If you don't tell me, I'm not letting you go," stated Gaddes in a serious tone of voice.

Celena stared directly into Gaddes' beautiful eyes and saw the worry that he had for her."I have to stop Kimera from hurting the people of Fanelia."

"What is she planning to do?" asked the Sarge as he released his hold on Celena.

"See.You have no idea what's going on and I don't have time to explain.I need to find Kimera before she kills every one."

"What?" Gaddes exclaimed astonished."It doesn't matter if I know what's going on.I'm going with you."He grabbed his sword and began to follow Celena towards the door.

Without any hesitation, Celena turned around and punched Gaddes hard in the stomach effectively knocking the wind right out of him.He stared at her with his mouth open and eyes wide."I'm so sorry Gaddes, but I can't risk you getting hurt.I hope you can forgive me," whispered Celena in to his ear as he passed out.Slowly, she lowered his body to the ground and kissed his forehead."Thanks for your help…you need to lay off the pastries for a while."She playfully poked his stomach and then ran off into the night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Van rode desperately into the night on Excalibur, determined to find Hitomi before Kimera could lay a claw on her.He knew exactly where he had to go but the lack of paths in the forests made it impossible for Van to reach the Dragon's Graveyard as fast as he wanted to on horseback, which is why he and Excalibur had to take an alternate route.

Excalibur was Van's personal horse, which Hitomi had helped him name…well, indirectly that is.Van had remembered the story that Hitomi had told him before she left about King Arthur and his magical sword, Excalibur.He wasn't about to name his royal sword so that people would think he was a complete nut case, so he decided to name his black stallion Excalibur.The name suited the horse well too.His hair was sleek and shimmered in the light like a calm lake at sunset.He ran like the wind and was full of grace, every bit the Royal horse.It was this and Excalibur's ability to manoeuvre on almost any terrain that Van need right now the most.

The new route that Van had chosen to take involved a steep climb through the rolling hills to Fanelia's immediate right, followed by a trek through the fields on the other side of the graveyard, and then across a rickety old bridge connecting the two sides that had been in existence since before Van's own father, Goau, was born.Van was counting on Excalibur's sure footedness to get him across the overpass since he wasn't too confident about his flying abilities with the weakened state of his mind.It took immense control to fly and Van's head was still a mess from whatever Kimera had done to him.

By the time Van and Excalibur had made their way to the bridge, the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon; a tiny sliver of gold pushing away the darkness of the night.Van narrowed his eyes, straining to see across the gap for any signs of Kimera and Hitomi by the large tree that towered over the cliff.Nothing.This could be good or bad.Good would be that Van would reach the other side before Kimera could hurt Hitomi; bad being that he was wrong about where Kimera would be taking his beloved.Whichever it was, Van couldn't just wait there to find out.

Slowly, the black stallion carried its master one step at a time on to the ancient wood boards.Dust floated up into the air from the ropes as their combined weight stretched them for the first time in decades.A light wind causes the bridge to sway and Excalibur pauses to maintain his balance jolting Van awake.All was quiet at this time of day, the only sound coming from Excalibur's hooves meeting the wooden panels of the bridge lulling Van to dozed in and out of slumber.He was exhausted from the night's events but continued to push himself forward in order to protect his angel, Hitomi.Finally, after what seemed like hours, Van and his horse reached the other side of the dragon cemetery.

"Good boy," commented Van as he hitched his horse to a nearby tree."You've served me well and lived up to your namesake.You will be sure to get a treat once we get home."Excalibur neighed softly in response to Van's gentle touch.

The sun was now half way up allowing warmth and light to shower down onto the land revealing what the night was hiding.Van could see the contents of the canyon now and shuttered at the site.Jagged rocks of all sizes covered the bottom, obviously the result of some sort of quake that created the gorge itself.But that wasn't the scariest part.Among the rocks and vines that grew below were the remains of thousands of dragons.Bones, scales and teeth taller than Van himself were littered all over the chasm floor, sharp enough to penetrate even the strongest of armour.Van was reminded of his dream and fell to his knees.

"I won't let that happen.I won't let my nightmare come true," Van told himself as he got back on his feet and scanned the area for signs of the witch and her prisoner.

Suddenly, a sharp pain began in Van's head causing him to collapse to the ground again holding his head.Looking up slowly, Van saw Kimera drag Hitomi out of the dense forest and to the tree.

"Hitomi…" murmured Van into the ground.The immense pain in his head was indescribable; it felt like his brain was being branded with a hot iron and stabbed with pitchforks.He tried to get up but he couldn't move.All he could do was watch as his fiancée prepare to torture his soul mate as he lay there in agony.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hitomi's eyes fluttered open as she felt herself be thrown against something rough and hard.Blinking a few times to clear her blurry eyes, Hitomi realized that she was no longer in the wooden shed but outside near a very large tree and a steep cliff.Hitomi tried to speak but found herself still gagged and bound to the stool.She saw Kimera a little ways away humming to herself and doing a little dance._'Oh God.She really is insane,'_ thought Hitomi as she tried to sit up, which also effectively caught the sorceress' attention.

"Oh good, you're up.Now I can finally kill you," greeted Kimera as she pulled Hitomi up and over to the other side of the tree trunk."It's really no fun using the Saiod attack on a sleeping victim.You don't get to see the suffering and pain in their eyes and well, that's pretty much all of the fun in killing."

Fear spread throughout Hitomi's entire being as Kimera finished positioning the stool that Hitomi was tied to in front of the tree.Was this it?Is this how she was going to die? At the mercy of a psychotic, delusional Zaibach sorceress.

A few metres away, Van could see everything that had happened and he knew that Kimera would attack Hitomi any moment now.It was now or never.He needed to do something or everything he had done so far in life would be in vain.With every ounce of will power that Van could muster up, he stood up and pulled his sword out of its scabbard.Van knew that his attack on Kimera would pretty much be pointless considering he could barely stand or see straight but at least it would buy Hitomi more time.He was willing to die for her and that was what he was planning to do.Taking a final deep breath, Van charged at the witch in the black bodysuit.

Kimera was standing a small distance away from Hitomi facing her with her eyes closed and arms spread out.She seemed to be chanting or summoning her powers, which would inevitably exterminate the girl from the Mystic Moon.Hitomi struggled with the ropes tying her to the stool in the hopes of loosening them enough for her to at least slide out of the way of Kimera's blast, but it was pointless.There wasn't anything Hitomi could do but close her eyes and accept her fate.It was then that she heard it, someone crying out her name.

"HITOMI!!!!" yelled Van at the top of his lungs and jumped into the air to strike down at Kimera, however, this action also gave the sorceress enough warning to move out of the way before Van could do any damage.

Van landed on his feet perfectly and turned to face his opponent with anger and rage burning in his garnet eyes and sword ready to fight.Kimera's reaction to all of this was a sneer as she too grabbed her machete and fell into a battle stance.

"Why won't you just die like a good little boy?" scoffed Kimera as she attacked Van.All Van could really do was block Kimera's blows since he was in no condition to fight.

"I'll never let you hurt her, you bitch!!" roared Van as he deflected another one of Kimera's swipe of the machete sending sparks into the air as steel met steel.

"Fine!I'll just have to kill you first just like I've always planned," retorted Kimera as she lunged at Van slicing his shirt open and just slashing his chest.Van winced at the pain but didn't stand down.

Again Kimera lunged at Van but this time he blocked it and tried to make a swipe at the sorceress.He missed dropping his sword next to Hitomi, who was stunned at what was happening before her, allowing Kimera to pin Van to the tree trunk with her right forearm.

"My, my dear Van.It looks like you've dropped your sword.How are you going to protect your girlfriend now?You were a much better sword fighter while you were under a woman's control," taunted Kimera bringing her head closer to Van's as she spoke.Van tried to wriggle of her clenches but she was much stronger than he was right now rendering him helpless.She cackled at the sight of a defenceless king as she kissed Van on the lips sending tremendous pain through his entire body and head.When Van had stopped struggling and passed out from the pain, Kimera stepped back letting Van's unconscious body fall to the ground.

"VAN!" shrieked Hitomi through her gag at the sight of him hitting ground.She tried to reach out for him but again the stool prevented her.

"It seems to me that your head has been causing you some problems lately," tormented Kimera as she raised her machete high above Van's neck."What do you say we chop it off?After all, no head should equal no pain," giggled the silver haired maniac bringing her blade down.Everything now suddenly began to run in slow motion.

Hitomi screamed in terror knowing what was going to happen to the King of Fanelia.She pulled herself closer to the stool and shut her eyes as tight as she could letting her tears rain down praying for a miracle or Allen or anyone to come to their rescue.Kimera's battle cry was heard and Hitomi knew that there was nothing that she could do to save her love now and anticipated the horrible sound of metal against flesh…but it never came.Instead, Hitomi heard the scraping of steel scratching against steel snapping everything back to normal speed.She looked up and saw a mysterious figure holding a sword standing between Kimera and Van's body while Kimera stumbled back a few steps.

After leaving the Crusade, Celena ran aimlessly towards the heart of the Fanelian forests hoping to find some sign of Hitomi or Kimera but found none.Picking up speed, the lithe warrior began leaping from branch to branch to get a broader view of her current surroundings.That's when she heard it; Van screaming Hitomi's name.Looking towards the direction of the yell, Celena caught sight of movement by the canyon a few metres to her right.As fast as her slender legs would carry her, Celena rushed to the aide of her friends._'Somehow, I wish I had a guymelef right now.Alseides would definitely make this easier.' _She arrived just in time.

"Dilandau-sama?" gasped Kimera as she stared at Hitomi and Van's rescuer dropping her machete from attack stance to holding it against her side.

_'Dilandau?It can't be.He's gone.He turned back to…Celena?'_ wondered Hitomi as she strained her blurry eyes to confirm the identity of her saviour.

"Once, but he no longer exists.I am Celena Schezar and I will not let you hurt my friends," declared Celena as she took a step closer to the astounded Kimera all the while maintaining her battle stance.

"Oh, Dilandau-sama.Aren't you proud of me?I've managed to capture both Van Fanel and Hitomi Kanzaki.I know you wanted to kill Van with you own hands but unfortunately he was weaker than I thought so I accidentally killed him with the mind control but I there's still the Mystic Moon wench here that you can kill," replied Kimera completely ignoring what Celena had just said.

"Did you not hear what I just said?!Dilandau is no more.He's dead.Gone forever.Never going to come back.Get it through that thick skull of yours!" yelled Celena trying to get her message through again.

"I know you're confused, Dilandau-sama, but I can make everything better for you again.Just let me help you," answered Kimera calmly as she tried to place her free hand on Celena's forehead but Celena slapped it away.

"Don't touch me!"

"Why are you being so mean?!" shouted Kimera, her eyes no longer the calm empty void but now a flaming pit of hurt and rage.She brought her machete back up ready to strike."You've always been so mean to me!!I never did anything to you!!" shrieked the angry sorceress as she started swiping at Celena.

"OK, I think she's finally snapped," quipped Celena as she too began to swing her sword at Kimera in more or less self-defence

Hitomi was awestruck at the sight before her.Celena knew how to fight and she was good.Almost as good as Allen or Van.It was an amazing battle.Both females were skilled matching each strike with a counteractive one.Sparks flew all over the place as their swipes became harder.Parry.Thrust.Lunge.Duck.Kick.Swipe.Back and forth it went, neither of them maintaining the advantage for very long.It was a stalemate.At one point, Kimera held Celena in a headlock from behind but Celena managed to toss the sorceress over her shoulder to the ground.Kimera quickly got back on her feet and the standoff continued.

Hitomi was so wrapped up watching the exciting battle that she didn't even notice that Van had pulled himself up to her.Using what energy that he had left, he reached for his sword and cut the ropes tying Hitomi to the stool.Feeling that her limbs were no longer constrained, Hitomi looked down and saw Van looking back at her.She quickly pulled what remained of the ropes off of her ankles and wrists along with her gag and crawled over to Van.

"Van," whispered Hitomi as she lifted Van's head into her lap.She brushed away a few loose strands of his unruly hair and the dirt on his face."Van," she said again tears streaming down her cheeks.

He smiled at her and lifted his hand to cup her cheek wiping her tears away with his thumb."I'm sorry," breathed Van so quietly that Hitomi could barely hear his words.She held him closer to her body and brushed away the tears in his eyes.Suddenly, she felt his hand drop from her face.Pulling back slightly, Hitomi saw Van's eyes slowly close and his hand fall limply to the ground.

"VAAAAAANNNNNNNN!!!!!!!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hitomi's screamed echoed throughout the entire forest sending sleeping birds flying out into the air.Everyone within a radius of five kilometres turned their heads in the direction of the forest and the dragon's graveyard, including Allen and Gaddes.

After Allen had taken Merle to Makusu's office, he was informed that Van had ventured off into the night on horseback after screaming the name Hitomi.He immediately went to the stables to retrieve his own horse and was amazed to find Gaddes there.

"What are you doing here, Gaddes?Shouldn't you be on the Crusade taking Celena back to Asturia?" asked a panicked Allen.

"I was but then she made us turn the ship around," explained Gaddes.

"What do you mean she made you turn the Crusade around?How could she make you disobey my orders?"

"It's a long story, Boss and I'll explain later.But right now we need to find her.She said something about stopping Kimera before she hurts the people of Fanelia."

"What?" exclaimed Allen but he was cut off by Hitomi's echoing shriek.

"The canyon!" agreed both Allen and Gaddes at the same time since that was the only place in all of Fanelia that could cause such a reverberation.Instantly, the two men mounted their horses and started racing towards the gorge.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Van!" cried Hitomi trying to shake Van awake again.

Celena turned her attention away from Kimera at the sound of Hitomi's yell to see what had happened.A bad mistake for Kimera instantly recognized her opportunity.Seeing that Celena was well distracted by Hitomi and Van, Kimera kicked Celena's sword out of her hand.Celena dove to get her weapon back but Kimera willed it just out of her grasp._'Damn that bitch and her telekinetic powers.Well, at least she's weakened cause she was only to move it just out of my reach instead of off the cliff.I just need to hold her off until I can get it back,'_ planned Celena as she jumped out of the way of Kimera's blade, just millimetres away from her abdomen.

"Van," pleaded Hitomi again as she started rocking Van in her arms, not even noticing her pendant was glowing.

"He's not dead…at least I don't think he is," shouted Celena, this time not turning her view away from her enemy."He's stronger than that.You know that and I know that," Celena continued just narrowly missing another attack by Kimera.

Turning her head back quickly, Celena saw her sword behind her.Thinking that Celena was distracted again, Kimera charged just as Celena was hoping.When the sorceress was close enough, Celena performed a back flip, kicking Kimera in the chin driving her back a few steps and sprung back once more for another flip retrieving her sword all in one easy step.

"Don't think you're too smart!" growled the furious Kimera.

"Oh, but I am," Celena snapped back.

The showdown was on again as both warriors returned to their battle stances.Hitomi could care less this time.All of her attention was directed to the lifeless form of Van in her lap.She squeezed his hand tighter and tighter hoping to get some sort of response when she finally became aware of the pink light seeping through her dress.Hesitantly, she let go of Van's hand and held the pendant in her hands.Once again, she was engulfed in a bright light but this time it more like she was caught in a bubble.She could see the battle between Celena and Kimera outside but they were frozen in their positions.Glancing down, she realized that Van wasn't in her lap anymore.

"Van?"

All of a sudden, the bubble of pink light turned black.Hitomi looked around and saw nothing around her but then she began to hear a voice.

"I'm sorry.I'm sorry.I'm sorry."Over and over again the same two words repeated themselves getting louder each time.

Hitomi glanced around again and this time she saw Van lying on the ground curled into a tight ball.She immediately ran to him pulling him into her arms.

"Van?" asked Hitomi in an urgent tone of voice.There was no response from him.He just continued to mumble, "I'm sorry," over and over again.

"Van!" Hitomi demanded shaking his shoulders.He looked at her this time but his eyes were glazed over and blank."Snap out of it, Van.Wake up.You can't just give up this easily.It's not your fault."

"It is my fault.I caused everything to happen," muttered Van.

"No it isn't!!Snap out of it Van!!Please," begged Hitomi as she started bawling.Running out of ideas, Hitomi slapped Van across the cheek and fainted in exhaustion.

Van blinked at the pain in his cheek shocking him out of his trance.He looked down at Hitomi's body, which lay in his lap now."Hitomi…" he whispered.

Unexpectedly, the black bubble surrounding them began to rumble and crack revealing the light from the real world.Pieces started to fall down all around Van and Hitomi.He tried to cover her body with his to protect her but it wasn't enough.Protecting her head left her legs vulnerable and vice versa.Van pulled Hitomi closer to his body and closed his eyes.In a flash, Van's wings sprouted from his back enveloping them and sheltering them from the falling rubble.When Van opened his wings, he and Hitomi were back in reality under the large tree with Kimera and Celena fighting a short ways away.Van wasn't aware of his new surroundings.He just stared longingly at the angel in his arms until he too fell asleep.

Beads of sweat decorated Celena's brow now.Yes, she was a trained fighter but it had been six years since she had last fought and was out of practice.Meanwhile, Kimera had been training constantly since the end of the Destiny War and therefore much more experienced.Celena did pretty well in the defence department but was weak in offence.She had hardly placed a scratch on Kimera where as tiny slits were found all over Celena's body suit exposing her skin.

Exhausted, Celena carelessly trapped herself between the crazed maniac wielding a machete and the edge of the cliff.Slowly, Kimera managed to drive Celena right to the ledge.Celena was micrometres away from falling when Kimera abruptly stopped her attack in mid air.They stared at each other both with determination in their eyes panting.Celena wasn't about to give up even though she was in a disadvantage, but it seemed fate wasn't with her because the rocks underneath her boots gave way making her fall.

"AHHHHHHHH!!!!" yelped Celena as she tried to grip onto something…anything.When the dust finally cleared, the amethyst-eyed warrior was hanging on to dear life by the roots of the large tree a about a metre below.She tried to pull herself up or at least get a firm foothold along the side of the cliff but her muscles were too sore from all of the fighting.

"Dilandau-sama!!" Kimera cried out as she peered over the ledge.Before she could see that Celena was still alive, Kimera had turned around to glare at Van and Hitomi with rage and fury."Look what you did to my dear Dilandau-sama!!You will pay greatly for what you have done!!!"

Tightening her grip on the hilt of her machete, Kimera charged at the sleeping lovers ready to slice them to bits.Just as she was about to reach Van and Hitomi, the bright bubble of light from the pendant again engulfed them radiating a strong pulse of energy catapulting the Zaibach sorceress into the air.

"What's going on?!!No!!AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Kimera shrieked as she flew through the air and slid down the jagged side of the cliff.Her decent was suddenly stopped when she was able to grab on to a tree root just like Celena.

By this time, Allen and Gaddes were about halfway across the bridge with Gaddes and his horse in the lead.As soon as Gaddes saw the figure with the red bodysuit fall, he gave a swift kick to the horse's flanks sending it galloping across the remainder of the link in tremendous speed.Allen was dumbfounded but followed suit completely trusting the instincts of his Sarge.

Once the two swordsmen reached the other side of the dragon's graveyard, they were blinded by the pendant's light.Both men hid their eyes from the flash with the cuffs of their sleeve and ran toward the large tree immediately after it faded.When they arrived at the clearing, Allen instantly rushed to Hitomi and Van while Gaddes went to rescue Celena.

A few minutes had passed and Celena's arms and hands ached.Again she tried to get a foothold in the crevices along the rocks but none of them were stable and only caused Celena to pull down on the tree root harder.She had seen and felt the power of the pulse but had no idea that Kimera was hanging below her to the left.Just when Celena thought her muscles were about to yield, she felt someone grab hold of her arm.Looking up, her eyes locked with Gaddes'.Without any strain, he lifted the slender girl up and held her in his arms.

"Gaddes…" whispered Celena as she returned his embrace never wanting to let go.Suddenly, Celena saw a glimpse of something black moving out of the corner of her eye.Hesitantly, she let go of Gaddes and peeked over the edge to see Kimera dangling to a tree root.Without a single thought, Celena outstretched her hand down to where Kimera was.

"Celena?" inquired a curious Gaddes.What was she doing?

"Give me your hand, Kimera," instructed Celena reaching her hand further wiggling her fingers.

"Dilandau-sama," uttered the Zaibach sorceress as she took hand off of the root and began extending it up to Celena's outstretched one.There hands were mere millimetres away when Kimera abruptly stopped.She looked into Celena's lavender eyes and saw nothing but love and caring, nothing like Dilandau's.Tears formed in Kimera's eyes finally realizing that Dilandau was gone; a sad realization.A smile began forming on Kimera's lips as she completely let go of the tree root plummeting down into the gorge.

"No," Celena called out as she attempted to catch Kimera but Gaddes grabbed her waist pulling her back to safety.She buried her head in his chest to avoid the sound of Kimera's death.Gaddes responded by crushing her closer to him.

After a few seconds, Allen walked up to where Gaddes and Celena were sitting.He had found Hitomi and Van resting peacefully in each other's arms with only a few minor injuries here and there.A look of calming relief was painted over his face at the sight, a look that had disappeared from the Knight of Caeli's face since this whole ordeal began.

Celena loosened her embrace around Gaddes and turned to look down into the chasm.There Kimera's body lay impaled on two of the larger dragon bones that littered the graveyard floor -- one through the head and one straight through her heart.She hung there with her dark red blood dripping down her limbs and seeping into the dry ground.Her silver hair was now drenched in blood and her eyes were wide open with her lips curved into her crazed smile.The monstrosity that was Kimera Kushrinada was finally no more.

When Celena detected her brother's presence, she let go of Gaddes and gave Allen an enormous bear hug, which he happily returned."It's finally over," she whispered."All of Zaibach is finally gone for good."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Woo hoo!!Kimera is finally dead!!!!Let's all celebrate!!!Well, I hope you all liked this chapter.It took long enough to get to this point and I'm so glad that it's over.I hope you don't find the action/fighting scenes too stupid or lame but hey, I'm a lover, not a fighter so I absolutely suck at writing these scenes.I prefer being a visual director.I'm sure you all would enjoy seeing what I had in mind.Please be kind about the action sequences.I tried really hard to make them interesting.I even went to see _The Musketeer_ tonight just to get some more ideas for the swordplay.Well, now that Kimera is finally out of the picture it time for….you guessed it…FLUFF!!!Unfortunately, since school starts for me in like 2 days, I'm going to have to cut down the number of chapters of fluff that I had planned.I'll probably just be writing 2 so that'll end my story off with 15 chapters, one being the epilogue.But hey, this chapter was like six thousand plus words long so I can just make Chapter 14 a super long fluff chapter.I better shut up now cause I'm really tired and it's 3AM.Please review and check out the story "The Heart Never Forgets" by Shunkashuutou Kanada, the group project that I'm working on with Phantom Angel, Marilyn N., and Oki Miya.Until the fluff, ta ta.


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